Northampton rapist jailed for more than 14 years for abuse connected to Abington Street statue

Alex Stephen Coleman, previously of Redruth Close, appeared at Northampton Crown Court today (Friday December 20) to be sentenced, after a jury found him guilty of 18 offences.

The 34-year-old has been convicted of three counts of rape, six counts of sexual activity with a child, six counts of sexual assault and three counts of assault by penetration.

According to police, Coleman committed the offences against five girls when he was aged between 18 and 21. He was arrested in 2020 and then charged in 2022.

At the hearing on Friday December 20, victim impact statements from all five survivors were referred to in court, which outlined the impact Coleman’s offending had on them. One woman stated how she “feels sad for her younger self” when she looks back on what happened, whilst another recalled the offending causing her to become withdrawn at school.

According to Northamptonshire Police, as he sentenced Coleman, His Honour Judge David Herbert said: “When your victims said no, you just ignored them and pressed on. I doubt you fully understand the effect that your sexual offending had on these complainants.”

Lead investigator - Detective Inspector Colin Bowers said after the hearing: “First of all, I want to commend the survivors in this case for their bravery - from the courage it took to contact us in the first place to the resolve it has taken to support our investigation and the subsequent court case.

“Although nothing can take away what Alex Coleman did, I hope this result provides these women not only with some closure, but also pride in the fact that their actions have resulted in a sexual predator being jailed for a long time and unable to harm anyone else.

“I welcome the lengthy sentence handed to Coleman today and I hope it goes to show the seriousness with which the police and the courts take crimes such as this.”

Detective Chief Inspector Liz Basham who oversees Op Antigua, said: “This is a great sentence and I want to thank the investigation team whose hard work has brought about this fantastic result, especially DI Colin Bowers - the officer in charge of the investigation, and DC Hayley Reed who has been supporting the survivors throughout the case.

“Tackling violence against women and girls remains a priority for Northamptonshire Police and we will continue working hard to investigate sexual abuse, bring those responsible to justice, and ensure the voices of the survivors are heard.”

Op Antigua was launched at the end of June 2020 and focuses on reported sexual abuse between the years of 2006 and 2016, all originating from the statue in Abington Street, Northampton, where young people would gather.

A number of people have been convicted and sent to prison as part of the operation with Coleman’s as one of the biggest cases.

Coleman was sentenced to 14 years and six months in prison.