Man who sexually exploited women in Blackpool through aggressive and coercive behaviour jailed

43-year-old Lewis Radcliffe met his first victim on a dating site.

At first everything was good, but Radcliffe began heavily criticising everything she did, lowering her confidence until she had none left.

He controlled her movements, money and behaviour, stole from her and demeaned her into sexual exploitive situations for his gain.

He was physically abusive, verbally threatening and left her a shell of what she was before she met him, police said.

In a statement to the court, the first victim wrote: “I am now a shell of the person I was. I am no longer me.

“Radcliffe has broken me down bit by bit during our time together until I was that weak.

“I felt as though I was trapped and couldn’t get out. It will stay with me forever what he has done to me, and I won’t get over it.”

The second woman he met, also online, found herself in a similar abusive situation with Radcliffe.

In one call he stated that “he could make her and her family disappear if she didn’t do want he asked”.

A third victim who had been in an on and off relationship with Lewis for five years, was subject to prolonged physical and mental abuse.

He demeaned her, stripped her of all confidence, threatened her with death and his own death if she ever reported him to the police.

He also threatened to kill her sons and subjected her to horrific ongoing abuse.

In her statement she wrote: “It has taken a lot for me to report this to the police and engage in the investigation, however I didn’t want this to happen to anyone else.

“Even though I know at the moment that Lewis is locked up I still feel fearful in Blackpool.

“I have even decided to move out of the area to try and protect myself and move forward.”

She added: “Before I met him, I was working, I had a home that I loved and a life that I enjoyed; Radcliffe has taken all of that away from me.

“Radcliffe would constantly call me while I was at work, he would threaten to show up and smash the place up if I didn’t talk to him or didn’t answer so eventually it made my life seem easier to just walk out of my job.

“He has also damaged my relationships with my family and put them through years of hell as well as myself.

“They believed that I would end up dead because of him, my mum still panics if she cannot get hold of me because she immediately thinks I’ve gone back to him or that he has hurt me, even though he has been in prison for over a year. He used my family to control me, telling me he would kill my sons to keep me behaving.”

How long was he jailed for?

Radcliffe, formerly of Knutsford Avenue, Stockport, but now of no fixed address, appeared at Preston Crown Court earlier this week.

He pleaded guilty to engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour and burglary.

He was jailed for 55 months.

A 10-year restraining order was also imposed.

What did Lancashire Police say?

Det Sgt Jen Mills, Modern Slavery Human Trafficking Coordinator for Lancashire Police, said: “Radcliffe is an individual who poses a danger to women through his abhorrent attitude and controlling and coercive behaviour towards them.

“The behaviour Radcliffe engaged in towards the three victims in this case was truly appalling, treating them as commodities who were there to serve his every need.

“The ongoing impact that his behaviour has on these three women is truly immense.

“The three women have shown immense bravery and with their support and the support of the CPS we have been able to prosecute a very dangerous man.

“If you or anybody you know is in an abusive relationship, I would strongly urge you to contact the police, knowing you will be listened to, believed and that we will do everything in our power to put the perpetrator before the courts.”