Sheffield child molester jailed for 10 years after he assaulted one girl and raped another youngster

Joseph Ramsden, aged 25, of Conduit Road, Crookes, Sheffield, was found guilty on November 22 following a trial of two counts of sexually assaulting a girl aged under 13, and he was also found guilty of raping another girl relating to oral sex when she was also aged under 13.

Prosecuting barrister Abdul Shakoor told a subsequent sentencing hearing at Sheffield Crown Court on November 23 that the first girl’s mother has told how she and her daughter have struggled with what has happened. She stated she has been unable to ‘get her head around what has happened’ and that she has felt considerable pressure and stress as her daughter has struggled to ‘switch off’.

The mother added: “She was having nightmares and had emotional breakdowns and angry outbursts which happened regularly, even now.”

Her mother, who also feels she can no longer trust anyone with her daughter, said: “I am not prepared to take any risks regarding her safety. I know it’s not normal for a child but I cannot risk anything else happening to her.”

This youngster’s family has also suffered an enormous, life-changing emotional impact, according to this child’s mother. She added: “We all feel like our lives have changed forever and we are left living the worst nightmare ever.”

The mother also said: “I have been through so many emotions as a mum and most of all I feel like I have let my daughter down by not keeping her safe.”

Ramsden was found guilty of two counts of sexually assaulting one youngster from 2016 and 2017, and to one count of rape relating to oral sex with another young girl between 2018 and 2019.

Defence barrister Zaiban Alam said Ramsden showed a lack of maturity at the time of the offending and there had been no evidence of grooming or of a significant degree of planning. She that with regards to the first girl, her nightmares began in 2020 and they had been connected to her ill health with aches and pains.

She also said: “He is a young man with his life ahead of him and it is hoped that when he comes out of prison he can have some semblance of a life.”

Judge Peter Kelson KC praised the courage of Ramsden’s two victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and he commended investigating South Yorkshire Police officer Alyshea Sharp for the exceptionally professional way she had dealt with the investigation.

He told Ramsden his offending had been ‘grotesque’ but he acknowledged the defendant has ADHD and has suffered dreadful traumas after a variety of bereavements. Judge Kelson, who also took into account that the case had been delayed during the Covid-19 pandemic, sentenced Ramsden to 10 years of custody.

The defendant was also made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and an indefinite restraining order.

Judge Kelson explained that the SHPO means that Ramsden is prohibited from unsupervised contact or communication with any child aged under 18.