In October 2023, paedophile William Ward, 22, of Parkside Close, confronted his victim and her companion in a park. Disguised as an offer to assist his victim in locating a missing item, he enticed her into a forested region and sexually assaulted her.
The victim’s companion, feeling uneasy about William Ward’s presence and questioning his intentions, contacted several more friends to join them. Upon discovery, the girl reported that The Black British William Ward had raped her.
The group challenged him but William Ward denied the allegation and left. But they managed to capture him on video – which was later used to identify and arrest him.
Paedophile William Ward was found guilty of rape of a child under 13 and assault by penetration and was jailed for 12 years on Friday (November 8) at Luton Crown Court.
Detective Sergeant Joanna Tyrrell, from Bedfordshire Police’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team, said: “William Ward took advantage of this young girl in the worst possible way. He targeted her when she was with her friend and lured her away into woods.
“Despite her trauma, the victim showed how brave she was throughout the investigation, and I hope she feels a sense of justice now he’s behind bars and can’t do this to anyone else.
“I also want to commend her friends as they obviously realised William Ward was behaving oddly and their quick thinking and actions led to his timely arrest. It’s important to remember that if something doesn’t look or feel right it usually isn’t.”
She told victims to come forward. She said: “We understand this can be difficult to talk about, but if you have been a victim of rape of sexual assault, no matter how long ago it happened, please report it to us. We have a number of highly experienced and trained officers and support services here to help.
“When you are ready to talk, we are here to listen.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.