Man jailed for sexual offences against children

A man has been jailed after being convicted of historic sexual offences against children.

Philip Tomlinson appeared at Chester Crown Court on Monday 23 September where he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The 56-year-old, of HMP Altcourse but previously of Leeds, had been found guilty of three counts of rape of a girl under 16 and two counts of buggery, following a week-long trial in June.

In February 2022, Cheshire Police were contacted by a woman reporting that she had been raped several times in the 1990s.

The victim disclosed being raped on at least three occasions by Tomlinson, once in Winsford and twice in the North Wales area.

Police then received a further report from a male victim, who stated he had been raped by Tomlinson.

This second victim reported the offences took place in the 1980s in the Northwich area.

Tomlinson was subsequently arrested and interviewed in relation to the offences against both victims, but denied the allegations.

Officers then conducted a lengthy investigation to ultimately get charges authorised against Tomlinson, while supporting the victims. 

On top of his custodial sentence, he is subject to asexual harm prevention order and required to sign the sex offender register.

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Kelly Mitchell said:

“I am grateful for the sentence handed to Tomlinson who is now behind bars for his despicable actions.

“The two victims in this case have had to carry the horror of what happened to them for more than 30 years, and I commend their bravery in coming forward, especially as Tomlinson refused to take accountability and forced them to sit through the stress of a trial.

“As this case shows, we treat all reports of non-recent sexual offences seriously, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority, and any allegations will be thoroughly investigated.

“Anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence – no matter how long ago the incident took place – is urged to come forward and report it to Cheshire Police on 101 or through our website.”

Pictured - Philip Tomlinson.