Clifford Paul Thompson – Leicester

A child rapist who threatened to kill a nine-year-old girl and her parents if she exposed his abuse has been jailed for 22 years.

Clifford Paul Thompson, from the New Parks area of Leicester, used threats of murder and claims of a “special” relationship to silence the child he sexually abused.

Thompson was 54 at the time of the offences. His victim was just nine.

He told her that nobody else would understand their relationship — and threatened to kill her, her mother and her father if she told anyone.

The threats placed a child under terrifying pressure to keep his crimes secret, with the lives of her parents used as another weapon against her.

A jury found Thompson guilty of all 13 charges in September:

– Two counts of rape of a girl under 13,
– Four counts of inciting sexual activity with a girl under 13,
– Four counts of sexual assault
– Three counts of assault by penetration.

All the offences are against the same child.

At Leicester Crown Court on 9th October 2026, Thompson was sentenced to 22 years in prison, with an additional three years on extended licence following his release.

He had been held on remand since his arrest on 22 October 2025.

His convictions expose both the sexual abuse of a young child and the calculated intimidation he used to prevent her from speaking out.