A BARROW man has been jailed for more than a decade for raping two people.​

​Kenneth Cardy, 54, of Low White Close, was sentenced today for two counts of rape and one count of perverting the course of justice by witness intimidation. ​ He was sentenced to 12 years in prison at Preston Crown Court after being found guilty at an earlier hearing. The first victim, a 22-year-old female, was assaulted by Cardy in early 2014.

The second victim, a 46-year-male, was assaulted in the summer months of 2014 while Cardy held a knife to his throat.

Sean Mills, 40 , of Ramsey Park, Barrow and Alfred Howard, 83, of the same address, were also sentenced today in relation to this case.

Mills and Howard both received suspended sentences for 12 months for perverting the course of justice through witness intimidation.

The pair were found guilty of intimidating Cardy’s two victims in an attempt to make them retract their complaints of rape. Both had been persuaded by Cardy to do this.

Detective Sergeant Wayne Dixon said:

“There is no excuse for the unthinkable actions of Cardy and I am glad that he is now facing a significant sentence for his crimes. Rape and sexual offences have a huge impact on victims and their families and I hope that for the two brave victims in this case, today’s sentencing offers some sort of closure.

“The actions of Mills and Howard could have led to a rapist remaining on our streets. Attempting to pervert the course of justice is a very serious crime and only makes the ordeal even more traumatic for the victims.

“I would like to take this opportunity to urge anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence to come forward and report it to police. A victim can be reassured that their case will be investigated professionally and sensitively.”