Houghton Regis man who raped a girl in a park is jailed

A 22-year-old man from Houghton Regis has been jailed for 12 years after raping a girl in a park last year. 

William Ward, of Parkside Close, approached the victim and her friend in a park in October 2023 and engaged them in conversation.

The victim’s friend, who felt uncomfortable by Ward’s presence and was suspicious of his intentions, messaged some of their other friends to come and meet them.

Ward, on the pretence of helping the victim find something she had lost, managed to lure her away from her friends and into a wooded area where he raped her.

When her friends found her, she was distressed and disclosed that Ward had raped her.

The group challenged him, but he denied it and left shortly afterwards.

However, the victim’s friends had managed to take a video of him which was later used to help identify and arrest him.

Ward was found guilty of rape of a child under 13 and assault by penetration and was sentenced on Friday (8 November) at Luton Crown Court to 12 years. 

Detective Sergeant Joanna Tyrrell from Bedfordshire Police’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team, who investigated, said: “Ward took advantage of this young girl in the worst possible way. He targeted her when she was with her friend and lured her away into woods.

“Despite her trauma, the victim showed how brave she was throughout the investigation, and I hope she feels a sense of justice now he’s behind bars and can’t do this to anyone else.

“I also want to commend her friends as they obviously realised Ward was behaving oddly and their quick thinking and actions led to his timely arrest. It’s important to remember that if something doesn’t look or feel right it usually isn’t.

“Tackling perpetrators of male violence against women and girls is a significant focus for us and we will continue to pursue these types of offenders, as well as working closely with our partners to support and improve women’s safety across the county.

“We understand this can be difficult to talk about, but if you have been a victim of rape of sexual assault, no matter how long ago it happened, please report it to us. We have a number of highly experienced and trained officers and support services here to help.

“When you are ready to talk, we are here to listen.”

You can report any sexual offences to the police by calling 101 or via our website.

Find out more about the national When You Are Ready campaign.