Man raped child after Center Parcs invitation

Girl was attacked when family let man stay in their lodge at forest resort after row with his girlfriend

A MAN raped a child after being invited to stay in a family’s Center Parcs lodge when his partner kicked him out, a court heard.

Caden Crossley, 29, had an argument with his partner while they were staying at the resort in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, before being kicked out of the cabin.

He was then invited by the family of a teenager to stay overnight in their lodge, after he had befriended them earlier that day.

However, the teenager, who has not been named and was referred to by the court only as Child E, woke to find Crossley lying in her bed and was then raped by him.

Handing him a 12-year prison sentence at Nottingham Crown Court, Judge Michael Auty KC, said: “You were turfed out of your own lodge and were effectively homeless and Child E’s mother took you in out of the kindness of her heart.

“She did not have to and I imagine she blames herself every single day for making that kind decision.

“She has nothing to blame herself for, kindness and virtue is remarkably rare. You were taken into their lodge under their trust and you breached their trust in you in a cruel and cynical way.”

The court heard that “troubled” Child E was a “bright worthy and decent” girl who had failed her school exams since the attack in summer 2022.

“The effect of what you did I have no doubt will live with her for the rest of her life and the only decent thing you did was plead guilty to spare her the indignity of having to relive in the witness box what you did to her,” the judge added.

Crossley, formerly of Leeds and currently in jail at HMP Stocken, near Oakham in Rutland, pleaded guilty to rape and sexual assault of a child.

Last year, he was jailed for five years for firearms offences that were committed after the sex attacks in Nottinghamshire. As well as the prison term, the judge ordered Crossley be on the sex offender register for life and handed him a lifetime sexual harm prevention order.

Det Con Gemma Sidebottom of Nottinghamshire Police said: “Crossley raped and sexually assaulted a child and has rightly received a very significant jail sentence today.

“His actions that day were utterly despicable and have unsurprisingly had a very significant impact on his victim and her family.”

Caden Crossley, 29, was jailed for 12 years for rape. Last year, he was handed a five-year prison term for firearms offences committed after the sex attacks