Pair who destroyed lives jailed for raping and sexually abusing children
Two rapists who also sexually abused children have been jailed four decades on from carrying out their wicked crimes.
One of the victims was a woman who was in a primary school in the 1980s when she was raped and sexually assaulted by Neil Willis and Anthony Douglas.
The pair also sexually abused a boy, while Willis also assaulted two other young children.
The two rapists were living in Peterlee, County Durham, at the time of the abuse, with Willis, formerly known as Neil Blenkinsop, aged between 14 and 17, and Douglas aged 19 to 20 at the time of the attacks.
Their offending came to light when one of the boys – who is now an adult – told police what happened to him in 2019.
An investigation was launched by Durham Constabulary, which led to three further survivors coming forward and disclosing that they too had been abused, and the pair were charged with a multitude of sexual offences.
Willis, aged 57, admitted some charges and was found guilty of others, including rape, indecent assault, buggery, and gross indecency with a child following a two-and-a-half-week trial at Newcastle Crown Court earlier this year (2025).
Douglas denied all offences, but the 58-year-old was found guilty of several counts of rape, indecent assault, and gross indecency with a child.
The pair appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Monday (July 14) for sentencing.
Willis, of Ealing, in London, was jailed for 13 years, while Douglas, of Hartlepool, was jailed for 16 years with a one-year extended licence.
They were also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.
In a powerful victim impact statement that was read out in court, one of the survivors said the pair had destroyed her life.
She said: “No child should ever have to live through what they did to us. You shouldn’t have to live with this for 40 years before you have the strength to talk about it,.
“I would never have ever told anyone; I only came out with what happened to me because another survivor had the strength to tell the police what happened to him.
“When I got the phone call telling me they had been found guilty, I just remember thinking: “They believe us.” They listened to us, and they believed us.
“I wish that no one has to go through what we’ve gone through. I hope Anthony and Neil now feel as scared as we were every day.”
The victim also urged anyone who has been the victim of historic child abuse to come forward and speak to the police.
She added: “I am massively grateful to the police for all of the work that’s gone into this case to get it to court – I can’t thank them enough.
“If there’s anyone in the position that we were in, I would tell them to go forward, say something to someone. See if you can find support and pluck up the courage.
“It is hard but it’s worth it. We’ve proved that you can get justice and if there’s anyone in that situation, just know you aren’t on your own – you never were and never will be.”