Bamber Bridge paedophile who raped woman while on bail for sexually abusing children jailed

Michael Levy, from Bamber Bridge, contacted the woman on Facebook in November 2022 and after exchanging messages they met up in January 2023.

The 39-year-old ignored her insistence on taking things slowly and employed manipulative tactics to attempt to rush her into starting a relationship.

This included bombarding her with messages, following her in his car and turning up at her house uninvited with excuses to be let in.

On the evening of January 6, after receiving numerous messages from Levy begging to see her, she reluctantly let him visit her at her home.

Throughout the evening she messaged her friend telling her how he was making her feel uncomfortable.

While in the living room he started kissing and biting her.

She told him ‘no’ and asked him to stop several times, but he did not listen and proceeded to rape her.

The woman described feeling scared and that she froze.

After the attack she told him to leave her home and reported him to the police.

When he was arrested and interviewed by the police, he denied raping her claiming that all sexual activity had been consensual.

By attending the woman’s home, he had breached his Crown Court bail conditions by entering a restricted area as he was awaiting trial for sexual offences involving two young girls after he had also infiltrated his way into the lives of two other families.

Following that trial, which concluded in March this year, Levy was found guilty of 13 sexual offences against children under 13 years between 2019 and 2021.

In July, he was found guilty of rape, assault by penetration, sexual assault and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent against the woman.

On Monday (September 4), he was sentenced to an extended sentence of 23 years, consisting of 18 years imprisonment and a five year extended licence period.

He was also issued with an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must sign the Sex Offender’s Register for life for all the offences.

Ruby Mckeague, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the North West Rape and Serious Sexual offences Unit, said: “Michael Levy is an extremely dangerous sexual predator.

“He used tactics like love bombing and gaslighting to infiltrate his way into the woman’s life and raped her in her own home whilst her children slept upstairs.

“He committed the offences whilst awaiting trial for sexual offences against children, which demonstrates the danger he poses to both women and children.”