The Burnley Rapist, Christian Lewis, has received a life sentence for the rape and imprisonment of a lady. In August 2024, Christian Lewis and his victim, a woman in her 40s, were consuming beverages at a neighbourhood pub. He proposed to escort her home. While at her residence in Burnley, he seized her by the hair and commenced the assault. He thereafter issued threats against her and sexually assaulted her.
The victim successfully escaped and informed us of the incident.
After an inquiry, Christian Lewis, 34, of no permanent address, was apprehended on suspicion of and charged with rape, assault causing actual bodily harm, and non-fatal strangulation. He entered a guilty plea at Burnley Crown Court on Monday, February 17th.
He was today jailed at Preston Crown Court for life, with a minimum term of seven years. This means that Christian Lewis will have to serve a minimum of seven years, before he can apply for parole.
DC Laura Jenkins from our Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team said: “Christian Lewis attacked his victim in the place she should feel the safest: her own home.
“We welcome the life sentence handed down today, and hope that this shows that sexual offences will never be tolerated in Lancashire. I hope that the victim can now begin to rebuild her life knowing that the man responsible for this attack is behind bars.”
DC Jodie Nolan, also of our Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team said: “I want to praise Christian Lewis’ victim for the bravery she has shown throughout the investigation.
“I hope that this will show just how seriously we take these crimes. If you are a victim of any sexual offence, please know that we will listen to you, we will investigate, and we will do all we can to bring the person responsible to justice.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.