Morecambe rapist Stephen Gilyeat gets extended jail term for attacks on two schoolgirls

A child rapist snared two young victims by chatting to them on a social media app, a court has heard.

Evil Stephen Gilyeat, 19, from Morecambe, was jailed for 12 years and nine months after admitting three counts of rape, relating to separate incidents involving two teenage girls in the resort in 2018.

Judge Heather Lloyd also imposed an extended four year licence period to reflect his risk to the public - a power used to provide extra protection to the public in certain types of cases where the court has found that the offender is dangerous.

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Prosecuting, Barbara Webster revealed he had communicated with both schoolgirls via social media app Snapchat before the attacks took place at his home.

Referring to his first victim, 14, she added: “ They arranged for him to buy her some cigarettes, and on November 25 she met with the defendant.

“She didn’t have any money at that stage and felt bad she hadn’t paid him back.”

The youngster agreed to go back to his home as it was cold outside.

But once inside he locked her in and told her to go in the bedroom.

When she tried to go to the lounge Gilyeat told her: “No, no, no.”

The court heard he kept trying to kiss her before becoming “rough” with her, grabbing her hair.

He ignored her desperate pleas as she was attacked, telling her: “One more minute, I love you baby.”

When she told him what he had done was rape, Gilyeat replied: “I know, I’m sorry.”

In a second incident, Gilyeat offered to pay the train fare for a vulnerable 16-year-old to travel from her home in Yorkshire to Morecambe to come and see him, along with friends.

The court heard she thought he “was a bit weird”, smacking her legs and making lewd remarks.

When they all got back to his home, he raped her in his room, attempting to strangle her at one point.

Miss Webster said his young victim told him repeatedly to stop and that he was hurting her, but he replied it “wasn’t his fault”.

The youngster managed to alert her social worker, who rang police, and they attended at Gilyeat’s home.

In a distressing victim statement, the first child spoke of her torment after other youngsters learned what had happened.

She revealed some had bullied her, refusing to believe her and calling her names.