Decades in jail for dangerous and predatory sex pest who raped child

Andrew Bate cruelly and selfishly forged opportunities to abuse the victim, putting her on a ‘self-destruct’ course and destroying her mental health.

However, the 41-year-old has now been brought to justice after the child bravely came forward – also having to endure the stress of reliving the awful memories during a trial.

A jury saw through his lies and convicted him of 16 sexual offences, namely six counts of rape of a child, two of rape, six of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and two of sexual assault

Summing up the facts of the offending, at Liverpool Crown Court this afternoon, Friday, judge Stuart Driver spoke of how the victim was just a child when the defendant began to sexually assault and rape her, which continued over a period of years.

“Sometimes you would not get the opportunity to offend against her, but when the opportunity arose, you would take that opportunity,” he said.

“You would also create opportunities by taking her to secluded places.”

Bate’s offending eventually came to light in January 2023 when the victim found the courage to report the matter to Cheshire Police.

Following the report, Bate was subsequently arrested by detectives from Warrington, and during questioning, he denied all of the allegations against him.

He chose to plead not guilty and put the victim through the ordeal of a trial, before being convicted by a jury of all charges.

It was said that the victim suffered severe psychological harm due to the actions of the defendant.

This was referenced by Karl Sholtz, prosecuting in the case, who described the offences as ‘harrowing and appalling’.

He read out a moving impact statement prepared by the victim who said she was always scared to speak out about the abuse due to fear and embarrassment.

“The abuse set her on a self-destructive for life. There is a feeling of being dirty as she still feels he is on or part of her body,” he said.

“The thought of what happened never leaves her. She does not leave the house unless someone is with her as she is afraid of him and what he could do.

“Crippling anxiety has taken over her body, she hyperventilates and cannot sleep. Her life is a constant state of fear and panic.

“Certain smells and phrases bring back memories of what happened to her. There is no escaping the abuse she endured at the hands of this man.”

Offering mitigation for Bate, Jonathan Rogers, defending, highlighted his client’s lack of any previous convictions before these matters and ‘positive character references’ about him.

It was also said that the father was in full-time employment, having worked his way up in a construction firm, with his incarceration undoubtedly having an impact on his children.

Before sentencing, Judge Driver said: “In mitigation, you have no previous convictions, but that carries less weight in this type of offending, and your family will suffer from your incarceration.

Andrew Bate was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court

“I find you are a dangerous offender. I am satisfied there is a significant risk that you will commit further specified offences, and you will cause serious physical or psychological harm to one or more person.

“This is due to the gravity, duration, persistence and impact of your sexual offending.

“I agree you represent a high risk of serious harm to children. An extended sentence is necessary to protect members of the public from that risk.

Bate, of Libson Close in Cinnamon Brow, was sentenced to 21 years in prison, with an extended licence period of five years.

This means he will serve two thirds of that 21 years before the parole board determines if he is safe to release, before spending the five years on extended licence.

He must also sign the sex offender register and abide by the terms of a sexual harm prevention order and restraining order not to contact the victim – all three indefinitely.

The sentence was welcomed by DC Maurizio Lucchesi, who led the investigation and said: “I want to praise the victim for the courage that they have shown throughout this investigation.

“Bate is clearly a sexual predator, whose only interest is to fulfil his own sexual gratification.

“He showed no regard for the victim and, even when faced with all the evidence against him, he refused to plead guilty to any of the charges against him.

“Instead, he forced his victim to relive their experiences in court, which could not have been easy for them.

“Thankfully, as a result of the bravery of the victim and the evidence we gathered, the jury saw through his lies, and he is now being held accountable for his actions.

“I hope that the sentence handed to Bates will provide the victim with some closure and allow them to move forward with their lives, knowing that he will never be able to do the same to any other children.”

DC Lucchesi added: “Nobody should have to experience what the victim has been though.

“If anything can come from this case, I hope that it encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report them to us.

“Cheshire Police takes any allegation of sexual offences extremely seriously, and any allegation will be thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority.

“Victims should never feel ashamed to talk about what they have been subjected to.

“They will receive the help and support they need from our specialist officers, as well as from other support agencies we work alongside, and all victims of sexual offences have the right to anonymity.”

To report any sexual offence, call Cheshire Police on 101 or visit cheshire.police.uk

In an emergency always call 999, while information can also be given anonymously by calling Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111.