Serial sex offender went on crime spree - while under police investigation

A "prolific" and "dangerous" sex offender who targeted "vulnerable people during his near three-month rampage" has been jailed.

Lewis Gleave, 21, sexually and physically assaulted several women, threatened another with a gun and engaged in sexual communication with a child on social media. He was sentenced to four years in prison for three separate incidents that took place while he was already under investigation for serious offences - prompting a detective at his hearing to call him a "risk to society".

The first incident, in August 2024, saw Gleave making inappropriate and sexualised comments towards a girl while out in public. He then tried to hug her against her consent and slapped her bottom. When the girl and a 19-year-old man with her confronted him, Gleave kicked the man to the ground and began punching him, accusing him of falsely claiming he had touched the girl inappropriately.

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Just five days later, Gleave returned to the same group in a park and repeatedly targeted the same girl. He slapped her bottom again, then grabbed her head and forced it toward his crotch against her consent. He also attacked the same 19-year-old man for a second time, kicking him to the ground and demanding he fight. When the man refused, Gleave walked away. He was later arrested after the incident was reported to Cheshire Police. But despite the arrest, Gleave’s behaviour escalated.

The second incident, on September 1, involved Gleave asking a 13-year-old girl questions of a sexual nature and speaking to her about sexual acts via Snapchat and FaceTime. Some of the conversation was overheard by a nearby adult. When interviewed by police, he admitted to speaking with the girl.

The third incident took place on the evening of September 27 and was captured on CCTV. Gleave approached a 27-year-old near the Victoria Centre in Crewe, demanding to know if they had been threatening a friend of his. During the exchange, the victim spotted Gleave had what looked like a gun in a holster under his hi-vis jacket. He told her he was "carrying" - meaning he was armed. The weapon was later confirmed to be a BB gun. Police identified Gleave from a tattoo on his neck seen in the CCTV footage.

Three days later, Cheshire Police were contacted by a worker at a supported accommodation centre for young people, who reported that Gleave had entered the property and physically and sexually assaulted two women. The 21-year-old had dragged one of them across their room and strangled the other. The assault came to an end when the boyfriend of one of the victims arrived at the address, leading to Gleave's arrest later that day.

Gleave, from Crewe, denied all wrongdoing until he appeared in court, where he pleaded guilty to three counts of assault by beating, two sexual assaults, causing actual bodily harm, possession of an imitation firearm while committing an offence and inflicting actual bodily harm. He had been found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and engaging in sexual communication with a child at a previous hearing.

At Chester Crown Court, Gleave was jailed for four years along with an additional three years on licence. He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, five restraining orders and will have to sign the Sex Offenders Register.

Following his sentencing, Detective Constable Lydia Thompson, of Cheshire Constabulary's Protecting Vulnerable People Unit, said: “Lewis Gleave is a prolific and dangerous offender, who continued to offend despite being under investigation for numerous serious offences, without any care or thought for the impact this would have on his victims. Gleave has shown himself to be a risk to society, targeting a number of vulnerable people during his near three-month rampage, in which he failed to take no for an answer and attacked those who stood up to him."

She continued: "I am glad to see that the courts found Gleave guilty of the offences he refused to hold any accountability for, and I hope that the multiple victims his behaviour has affected can breathe a sigh of relief and begin to move on with their lives."

DC Thompson added: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank the victims in this case, all of whom have been affected by Gleave’s abhorrent actions in different ways, it was their bravery in disclosing what had happened to them that proved so vital in securing this conviction. They can rest assured in the knowledge that even when he does face release, he will be continually monitored by specialist officers to ensure he causes no harm or distress to them again.”