Man jailed for rape in St Helens

A man has been jailed today, Friday 19 December, for the rape of a woman in St Helens.

Greg Brookes, 37 years, of Farm Meadow Road in Wigan, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court and was jailed for four years four months and was issued with a five-year restraining order for victim.

He was found guilty of rape of a woman 16 years of age or over following a week-long trial earlier this month.

Detective Constable Lauren Baker, who led the investigation, said: “Following a lengthy investigation and despite the evidence against him, Brookes put the victim through the trauma of a trial.

“I would like to praise the courage and dignity shown by the victim throughout the investigation and court proceedings. Today’s results shows that violence against women and girls will simply not be tolerated and we will work tirelessly to bring perpetrators to justice.

“We are committed to protecting victims of sexual offences, and anyone who reports an incident to us will be safeguarded and supported throughout the investigation by Specially Trained Officers and Sexual Violence Advocates who will provide all the relevant support.

“Anyone that has been a victim of a sexual offence, is concerned for the safety of someone they know or suspects someone to be engaging in this criminal activity, should come forward and speak to us.

“We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.

“We take all such reports extremely seriously, and work with partner organisations such as Victim care Support Service and RASA who are there to support victims if this crime.”

To report a sexual offence call 101 where you will be spoken to by specially trained officers or you can pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. 

If you’ve been affected by sexual violence of any kind, support is available through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service delivered jointly by two registered charities. In Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, support is provided by Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on 0151 558 1801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063.

For women who have felt or feel unsafe in public spaces the Home Office has set up a pilot service (StreetSafe | Police.uk (www.police.uk)  for anyone to anonymously report public places where they have felt or feel unsafe, because of environmental issues, eg street lighting, abandoned buildings or vandalism and/or because of some behaviours, eg being followed or verbally abused. 

Please note: 'StreetSafe' is not for reporting crime or incidents. 

If something has happened to you or someone you know (including in public spaces online) you can call us on 101 or find out what online reporting services are available at StreetSafe | Police.uk (www.police.uk).