Man jailed for sexual assaults on two boys

A MAN who sexually abused two boys has been jailed for 20 years.

Michael Cooley was said to have a history offending which went back to 2009.

Cooley, of St Anne’s Terrace, Baildon, Shipley, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court after he was found guilty on 18 counts of sexual abuse.

His offences included charges of rape and sexual assault.

West Yorkshire Police said the offending took place over a period of nine years.

The case against Cooley, 55, was opened last August when one of the victims reported that he had been subjected to several years of sexual abuse by Cooley.

The victim said the offending had started in 2009.

The investigation was taken on by detectives at the Bradford District Safeguarding Unit, who subsequently discovered that Cooley had sexually abused a second boy between 2013 and 2018.

Cooley was arrested and later charged with several sexual offences against the two boys.

Police said the victims had been brave and officers hoped other victims of abuse would come forward.

Speaking after sentencing, Detective Constable Nicola Brook, of the Bradford District Safeguarding Unit, said: “I would like to thank the victims for their bravery in coming forward and reporting the abuse they suffered at the hands of Cooley. I hope today’s outcome will give them some closure and allow them to move forward with their lives. I also hope it will encourage other victims of sexual abuse to engage with the Bradford District Safeguarding Unit, who will investigate every report sensitively and thoroughly to support the victims and bring perpetrators to justice.”