Today (Thursday 23 November 2023), Lawrence Jones (01/08/1968) of Brooks Drive in Hale Barns was convicted at Manchester Crown Court following the historic rape of two women in Greater Manchester. This follows a conviction on Tuesday 31 January 2023 for a sexual assault against a third female. The investigation commenced after Woman A bravely disclosed that she had been the victim of sexual assault back in March 2019. Woman A first met Jones in 2013 and was a member of staff while working for Jones company - UKFAST - at the time. For four weeks Jones continually asked her to meet him outside of work and told her that it was her duties to do so. Woman A then was invited by Lawrence Jones on a business trip to London. They went out for a meal and while in a taxi, Jones acted and said inappropriate things to her making her feel very uncomfortable. On the return to the hotel, they had a drink at the bar and returned to their rooms, of which Jones requested adjoining rooms. Jones made sexual advances towards her. Woman A continued to pull away and Jones became verbally aggressive. Jones continued to pressure Woman A before sexually assaulted her. She eventually managed to get back to the safety of her room. When Woman A returned home, she told her mother what had taken place and she resigned. Over the course of the following days and weeks and Woman A documented what had taken place. In May 2019, Jones was interviewed under caution at Longsight Police station. He gave a prepared statement and then answered 'no comment' to all questions asked. Jones was subsequently charged with a sexual assault against Woman A. In a trial held at Manchester Crown Court, having denied the allegation against him Jones was found guilty of the sexual assault of Woman A in January 2023. In January 2021, a second woman (Woman B) came forward and disclosed that in 1993 she was a student at a University in Manchester and during that time she and her friends worked at a bar/restaurant on Oxford Road in Manchester City Centre. Soon after, one of Woman B's friends began a relationship with Lawrence Jones. Jones regularly worked at in bars as a pianist where he also met Woman B. On one occasion, Jones approached Woman B and invited her to come for a drink at his flat after she finished work. Woman B considered this for a while and decided that she should try to get to know Jones better for the sake of her friend. Jones passed her a piece of paper with his address on and she got a taxi to his flat. When she arrived at Jones flat, he poured her a glass of wine and from this moment forward, Woman B only has snapshots of being in Jones' bedroom and cannot recall how she got there. Stating to the court that her body felt floaty, like her body was not her own and it was unusual as she only had one glass of wine. Jones began to touch her and sexually assault her; she told him to stop. Woman B continued to refuse his advances and did not consent, she wanted to get off the bed and Jones became aggressive and shouted at her calling her names. He said, 'she should realise that she could not treat men like this and shouldn't lead them on'. Woman B began to lose consciousness and then when she began to 'come round', Jones was sexually assaulting her and raped her. Woman B said how Jones smiled as he assaulted her and bravely spoke of her fear to the court room. A few days later woman B called her friend who was in a relationship with Jones and disclosed what had happened and her friend ended their relationship. In 1995, woman B was struggling to deal with what happened to her and so she self-referred to the St Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre and sought counselling to help her. During the years after this assault, woman B told her friends what had happened to her, but she did not feel able to report this to the police at the time. In January 2021, woman B received a newsletter at her place of work and the headline of this newsletter related to Lawrence Jones and that he had been investigated by police for sexual offences. This prompted woman B to speak with her colleague and she made the decision to report what happened to her to the police. A year later, a third woman (Woman C) also bravely spoke of her experiences and disclosed to officers that back in 1993, she worked in several drinking establishments across Manchester with a previous partner. During this time, her and her partner became friendly with Lawrence Jones who organised and played music events in pubs across Manchester. Woman C then split up with her partner at the time and moved out of her old flat. On one occasion Jones came into woman C's bedroom and asked her to smell a bottle of liquid he was holding; she did not know what this was and shortly after she had smelt it, she began to feel woozy and lay on her bed. Jones then proceeded to rape woman C, she felt she could not do anything about it due to being incapacitated through the drug she had been given to sniff. Following the incident, Jones became very unpleasant to live with and eventually woman C was forced out of the address due to his behaviour. In 2019, Woman C bravely disclosed the offence to a friend while on holiday and then later disclosed to her husband. In 2022, she reported the incident to Greater Manchester Police. Woman A disclosed her experiences to GMP in March 2019 followed by Woman B who disclosed her experiences to officers in January 2021, with Woman C bravely following suit in April 2022. Lawrence Jones (01/08/1968) of Brooks Drive in Hale Barns, Trafford was subsequently charged with the rape of woman B and woman C. Jones pleaded not guilty to the charges and the trial at Manchester Crown Court lasted a total of three weeks. The court listened to all the evidence, witnesses and Jones was proven guilty of the rape of both Woman B and Woman C. Lawrence Jones will be sentenced on Friday 1 December 2023 for the offences against all three women. Detective Constable Stewart of Greater Manchester Police said: "Firstly, we commend the immense courage shown by the women in both investigations for coming forward to disclose the traumatic experiences they have endured. Their bravery has been pivotal in bringing Lawrence Jones to account for his heinous actions and we want to express our deepest gratitude for their strength and resilience throughout this challenging investigation and trial. "It is our sincere hope that this verdict sends a powerful message to survivors of rape and other sexual offences that their voices will be heard, and that justice can be achieved no matter when it happened or who was involved. No one should suffer in silence, and we encourage anyone who has been a victim of such crimes to come forward and report them to the police. "We are here to support you, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable for their actions. The collaborative efforts of the victims, witnesses, and our dedicated investigative team were essential in uncovering the truth and securing this conviction. "We understand the profound impact that such incidents can have on individuals, and we remain committed to providing support to those involved in this investigation and to those victims who reach out and disclose to us." Have YOU been raped or sexually assaulted? This is something which affects people regardless of gender or sexuality and it is important to understand that it is NOT your fault and the person(s) responsible need to be stopped, held accountable and brought to justice. If you or someone you know has been raped or sexually assaulted, we encourage you not to suffer in silence and report it to the police, or a support agency so you can get the help and support available. Saint Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Manchester provides a comprehensive and co-ordinated response to men, women and children who live or have been sexually assaulted within Greater Manchester. They offer forensic medical examinations, practical and emotional support as well as a counselling service for all ages. Services are available on a 24-hour basis and can be accessed by calling 0161 276 6515. Greater Manchester Rape Crisis is a confidential information, support and counselling service run by women for women over 18 who have been raped or sexually abused at any time in their lives. Call on 0161 273 4500 or email help@manchesterrapecrisis.co.uk Survivors Manchester provides specialist trauma informed support to male victims in Greater Manchester who have experienced sexual abuse, rape or sexual exploitation. Call 0161 236 2182.
