A man who indecently assaulted two young girls for years in a tight-knit community near Chorley has been jailed.
John Priestley was the respected village butcher in Croston in the early 1970s.
His victim’s came forward to Lancashire Police in 2022 and said she had been assaulted when she was 11.
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A second victim was then identified by the investigation and she was 13 when the butcher indecently assaulted her.
The 83-year-old of Glamis Road, Leyland, pleaded not guilty to all offences and denied any wrongdoing.
He was convicted of seven charges of indecent assault after a trial in April.
During a sentencing on Monday 15 June at Preston Crown Court he was handed a three-and-a-half-year prison term by Judge Phillip Parry.
“I can never put the abuse out of my head”
One of his victims said in a victim impact statement said: “This abuse has affected me throughout my whole life. What he did to me enters my head almost every day and has done for the past 50 years. I have suffered emotionally since the abuse began.
“One of the worst things about this abuse is the way it affected my ability to bring up my children and how it has affected my relationship with my husband. I made decisions about the children that I wouldn’t have made if I had never been abused.
“I am a victim of John Priestley and as a result my husband, my children and my Grandchildren are also victims. I can never put the abuse out of my head.”
‘Pretended’ to be a ‘decent person’
Detective Constable Will Hogan of Lancashire Police said: “Priestley’s victims have had to live for more than 50 years with the harrowing effects of the crimes he committed, before they had the courage to report them. They now have justice after conducting themselves with such strength throughout this process.
“Priestley used his good standing as a village businessman to make himself seem like a good person – he is not. He pretended to be a member of the local community, someone who was known around the village as a decent person, all while he was sexually abusing young girls.
“Priestley is 83 and will spend a considerable time in custody and will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for the rest of his life.
“I hope Priestley’s victims feel some sense of justice, knowing he has finally been sentenced for his crimes.
“If you’ve been a victim of any sexual offence, at any time, please report it to Lancashire Police.
“We will listen to you, support you and investigate appropriately, no matter how long ago it happened.”
