Duane Platt, aged 37, of Halifax Road, Bradford, has been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment at Leeds Crown Court after being convicted of two serious sexual offences against a teenage child in Kirklees.
The offences took place in June 2023. The court heard that Platt subjected the teenage victim to two sexual assaults, with one of the charges involving assault by penetration. The survivor reported the matter to West Yorkshire Police the following day, prompting detectives from the Kirklees District Child Safeguarding Unit to launch an investigation that led to Platt being detained shortly afterwards.
Under UK legislation, all victims of sexual offences are protected by lifelong statutory anonymity.
Platt entered not guilty pleas to the allegations, taking the case to a contested trial. In July, following deliberations, a Crown Court jury rejected his defence and returned guilty verdicts on both counts of sexual assault.
During the sentencing hearing on Thursday 24 September, the victim’s mother addressed Platt directly via a victim personal statement, noting that while Platt will eventually complete his sentence and walk free, the victim and her family must live with the memories, pain, and enduring impact of the offences every day.
The judge handed Platt an immediate determinate prison sentence of six years. Under statutory release provisions, Platt will be required to serve half of his sentence in custody before completing the remainder in the community on licence under the supervision of the Probation Service.
In addition to the custodial sentence, the court made Platt subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), imposing strict legal conditions that allow for his immediate arrest and prosecution should any terms be breached upon release. Platt was also ordered to comply with notification requirements on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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