Dangerous paedophile who targeted girls and boys given 26-year sentence
Thursday, August 7, 2025
The man pictured is 22-year-old Joseph Turner and in April we told you that he had been found guilty of sexual offences against two girls and two boys.
His abhorrent offending predominantly took place after he lured his victims to woodland in Rawtenstall.
Today (7th August) he was deemed dangerous by Judge Sara Dodd at Burnley Crown Court and given a sentence totalling 26 years. That comprises of 18 years immediate custody, with an extended licence period of eight years.
Judge Dodd said Turner posed a significant risk to others, stating he was manipulative, his behaviour was extreme and that he had no insight into the impact of his behaviour on his victims.
Before we remind you about what Turner did, we just wanted to highlight the impact of his behaviour on his victims and their loved ones.
Some of the victims did not feel able to make impact statements to the court, but the mother of one of the female victims did. In her statement she wrote: “At first I was worried sick, then it went into numbness. It was horrible. I can’t put into words how I felt.
“As the victim’s mum I felt powerless and frustrated, feeling that I had not been able to protect her from what he had done to her and at the time of his arrest in April 2023 she would not speak to me or the police about the extent of the abuse which she had endured whilst involved with him.
“It took my daughter a period of time after to pluck up the courage and start to feel safe enough that she could speak out and this led to her providing detail around the sexual and physical abuse in August 2023. It was knowing that Joseph remained inside in prison on remand until his court date for child abduction that then gave her the time and space. My daughter felt safe, she was more relaxed and away from his emotional blackmail. He was no longer able to be present around her physically or by call.
“My daughter’s eating, her being prevented from having friends, self-harming and suicidal thoughts were all things that were present when Joseph had his hold and control over her and were present for a period of time. I did find it hard to see what he had to her but in time my daughter started to look towards the future and little by little things began to get better slowly. My daughter had time to reflect and try and understand what was happening and realise that it was not normal.”
She continued: “I am relieved at the outcome and that everyone now knows what he has done, that he is an abuser and a predator. My daughter has always said that one of the reasons she spoke out was to prevent it from happening to anyone else.
“We finally have our lives back and our home. As a mother learning of the extent of abuse my daughter endured while involved with Joseph Turner is heartbreaking, but to finally see her happy again and looking forward to the future is amazing and I am so proud of her and all of his victims for having the courage to speak out and stop him harming anyone else or having to secretly carry around what he did to them. I feel like we have the power and control back and I have my daughter back.”
The first victim was 14 and Turner was 20 when he groomed her into thinking they were in a relationship. During that period, he raped her while she as unconscious, sexually assaulted her, physically assaulted her, strangled her with a belt, threatened her with knives and was verbally abusive towards her. He would call her his wife and even got her a ring.
The second victim was 16 when Turner lured her to his flat in Rawtenstall before going on to rape her.
The two male victims were just nine years old when Turner took them to the woods before sexually assaulting them.
Turner, of Linden Lea, Rawtenstall, was arrested and later charged with a number of offences.
Following a trial at Burnley Crown Court, he was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault on a child; two counts of sexual activity with a child; four counts of raping a female under the age of 16; one rape of a female over 16; two counts of intentional strangulation and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
During today’s sentencing hearing he was also placed on the Sex Offender’s Register for life and made subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order which limits his access to children.
DS Sarah Hargreaves, of our East Child Sexual Exploitation Team, said: “I welcome today’s sentencing which reflects the risk Turner poses to children due to his perverted sexual interests in them.
“His offending has had a clear and long-lasting impact on his victims and their loved ones. I hope the significant sentence handed down to Turner gives them comfort and a sense that some justice has been served.
“Finally, I want to praise the investigation team - DCs Jenny Berry, Alex Biggs and Liam Morris - who worked diligently and patiently to gather all the evidence that led to the conviction after trial.”
If you or somebody you know has been the victim of a sexual offence, report it online via or call 101. If a crime is in progress always call 999.
