A man has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for multiple sexual offences against two women, including one in Congleton.

Robert Houghton, of Moss Lane, Macclesfield, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 5 November where he was jailed for 12 years and six months.

The 29-year-old was found guilty of multiple sexual offences, including rape, attempted rape, sexual assault and causing a female to engage in sexual activity without consent.

In January 2023, a woman reported that between 2020 and 2022, Houghton had raped and attempted to rape her. He would be sexually aggressive towards her and would even force items into her mouth, so she struggled to breath. The offences occurred in the Macclesfield area of Cheshire.

Houghton was arrested in relation to the offences but denied the allegations put to him. He was released on bail pending further enquiries and ultimately charged. 

In February 2024, another woman reported that she had been sexually assaulted by Houghton in Congleton. During the incident, which occurred in 2022, Houghton had touched her without her permission and despite her asking him to stop, he then forced her to touch him.

Houghton was also arrested and charged with these offences.

On top of his custodial sentence, he is subject to restraining orders in respect to both victims.

Following his sentencing, Detective Constable Doug Whitfield said: "I would like to commend the victims in this case for speaking to police about what happened to them. While they will never be able to forget what they have been through, I hope the lengthy sentence handed down to Houghton will give them some sense of closure.

"Houghton is clearly a sexual predator and is now in custody where he cannot subject further woman to this abhorrent behaviour. He showed absolutely no regard for his victims; he knew exactly what he was doing and ignored his victims' pleas for him to stop.

"I'd like to take the opportunity to encourage anyone who may have also been a victim of sexual assault to please get in touch. We will do all we can to tackle any incident of this nature."