Burnley man sexually assaulted woman in Malpas

Gary Taylor, 41, of Belvedere Road, was jailed for seven years at Chester Crown Court on Thursday by Judge Patrick Thompson.

He had been found guilty at trial in July this year of assault by penetration at the same court.

Judge Thompson was reminded of the facts of the case, having presided over the trial and heard that in January 2024, Taylor assaulted his victim in a bar in Malpas.

The woman, in her 20s, was assaulted in a room after Taylor – who Judge Thompson described as a ‘boorish drunk’ – attacked her, having found her alone upstairs at the venue.

He had been working in Malpas but was arrested at his home in Burnley.

Prosecutor Philip Clemo read out an impact statement on behalf of Taylor’s victim, first taken in April 2025.

It said: “From that night on, I have lived in fear and I don’t feel safe – the psychological effects have been overwhelming.

“When it comes up, my head fogs up and I shut down. I can’t be alone with my thoughts.

“I often get angry that I have to think about it – I blame myself, wondering what I could’ve done differently even though I know it’s not my fault.

“I walk on eggshells around men and it is exhausting.”

She added that it has impacted on her work life, her love life and her health as she received injuries from the incident.

The victim said that her ‘world shrunk and cannot go out without having a panic attack’.

Mr Clemo added that she also ‘cannot keep a door closed even when she is showering’.

Sarah Badrawy, defending, said: “He knows he is facing a custodial sentence, and my role here today is to minimise that.

“He has previous convictions but has not spent any time in custody.

“He is a hard worker, and his mother’s reference shows a different side to the man in the trial.

“A period in custody would have an impact on his family.

“His pre-sentence report shows he continues to deny it, meaning there is no remorse mitigation.”

Sentencing him, Judge Thompson said: “I and the jury saw the CCTV that showed you’d had a lot to drink that night.

“Your boorish drunken behaviour was clear, and you would not leave your victim alone.

“That behaviour became predatory – you saw her alone and you saw that chance to physically and sexual assault a vulnerable woman.

“She was vulnerable because she was on her own.

“You say it was consensual – that flies in the face of what I saw and you are delusional if you think that it was consensual.

“There has been a huge impact on your victim – she was a young woman and she describes this incident as ‘something she has to live with as she will never fully recover from it’.”

Taylor will serve two-thirds of his sentence, the rest on licence, and will sign the sex offenders register for life.

A restraining order for 10 years was also imposed.