In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Lee Hodgins, then 45, of Walker Road, Eccles, Salford, Greater Manchester, was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment. On Monday, 18 March 2019, Hodgins was jailed at Manchester Crown Court (Crown Square) following a “reprehensible” campaign of sexual violence against a child.
The investigation established that Hodgins subjected his victim to “persistent” sexual abuse for several years in Eccles during the 1990s. The survivor was under the age of 12 when the “abhorrent” abuse began. The court heard that Hodgins’ behaviour “calculatingly” escalated from repeated indecent assaults to raping the girl on two separate occasions.
Judicial Findings and Victim Impact
Greater Manchester Police launched a “critical” investigation in November 2016 after the victim “bravely” came forward to report the historical offences. Throughout the police interviews and the duration of the trial, Hodgins denied the crimes, forcing the survivor to endure the legal process. However, on Tuesday, 12 March 2019, a jury found him guilty of:
- Two counts of rape.
- Four counts of indecent assault.
The prosecution emphasised that the abuse occurred while the victim was a vulnerable child, and the “gravity” of the 11-year sentence reflects the long-term “psychological damage” caused. The court noted that Hodgins’ refusal to admit his “sinister” actions until the jury’s verdict demonstrated a complete lack of remorse.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his crimes in Eccles, Salford, Lee Hodgins was handed:
- Custodial Sentence: 11 years in immediate custody.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements were imposed for life.
- SHPO: A Sexual Harm Prevention Order was issued to monitor his conduct and digital access upon any eventual release.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Hodgins is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Greater Manchester Police. His history of “systematic” rape and indecent assault of a child means his status remains under “critical” scrutiny.
As a lifetime member of the Sex Offenders Register, Hodgins must comply with strict notification requirements regarding his address on Walker Road, Eccles. Authorities state that his conviction provides a level of public safeguarding that was absent for the decades he remained undetected. Any breach of his registration conditions or his SHPO following his release will result in his immediate return to Manchester Crown Court.
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