A man who raped two girls, ‘robbing them of their innocence' has been jailed for 30 years.

Philip May, 60, of Wem, Shrewsbury, was jailed at Preston Crown Court on Friday (July 29) for a string of historic sexual assaults and rape offences.

In 2019, police were approached by a woman who alleged she had suffered serious sexual abuse by May when she was a child.

A second woman was then spoken to by officers, who also said she had been a victim of the same abuse.

The offending was reported as taking place between 2005 and 2009 in Hesketh Bank.

May was later given a summons to appear in court for 24 offences, including rape, sexual assault, sexual touching and attempted rape.

He pleaded not guilty but following a trial, was found guilty of all offences on Wednesday (July 27).

Today, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

May must serve a minimum of two-thirds of his sentence and will only be eligible for parole after 20 years. He will be on the sex offenders register for life.

Investigating officer, Simon Morris said: “May abused these girls over a number of years, committing horrific sexual abuse and robbing them of their innocence to satisfy his own depraved sexual desires.

“His conviction and sentence is justice for them and I commend them for their bravery in coming forward and facing their abuser through the court process. They behaved with dignity throughout this investigation.

“Lancashire Constabulary remains committed to investigating allegations of this nature, no matter how historic, and no matter what the role, position and status of the alleged offender, and we would encourage anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence to come forward safe in the knowledge that they will be treated sensitively and professionally.”