Raymond Harrison, a 73-year-old former farmer from Keswick, Cumbria, has been sentenced to 14 years and 61 days in prison for the historical sexual abuse of two women.

Harrison was initially convicted in 2021 but his conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal. However, at a retrial at Carlisle Crown Court in 2023, he was found guilty of 13 sexual assault charges, including rape, spanning incidents that occurred around the turn of the 1980s.

The court heard harrowing details of Harrison's abuse, which involved grooming his victims with sweets and cigarettes before sexually assaulting them. He raped one girl in a garage, pinning her to a wall and subjecting her to months of repeated abuse. He also indecently assaulted a second girl through kissing and inappropriate touching.

Both victims bravely came forward with their accounts in 2017 after years of silence. In victim impact statements read by prosecutor Kim Whittlestone, the women described the profound and lasting damage Harrison's actions inflicted on their lives.

The judge, Nicholas Barker, condemned Harrison as a "sex offender" who had lived a life of undeserved respectability while perpetrating his crimes. He emphasized the devastating impact sexual abuse has on victims and highlighted the importance of holding perpetrators accountable.

Harrison must serve two-thirds of his sentence before becoming eligible for release and will remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely.