Labourer who was named by schoolgirl, 16, as man who sexually assaulted her just weeks before her body was tragically found in a river is jailed

A double rapist who attacked his latest victim just weeks before her body was found in a river has been jailed for more than 14 years.

Brave 16-year-old Leah Bedford has accused laborer Kristian John Franks, 35, of forcing her to have sex before his tragic death.

His body was recovered from the River Ouse in York on 28 September 2023.

He was last seen on security cameras eight days ago, by the river near Lendal Bridge.

Leah two weeks before she died He gave a detailed account of the attack he suffered at the hands of the Franks to North Yorkshire Police.

However, officers were forced to drop the charges against Leah after she failed to survive being cross-examined and it was determined she could not have a fair trial.

But with the teenager’s harrowing account of the attack, North Yorkshire Police contacted another woman who had made a complaint against Franks in 2017 but withdrew the complaint after receiving chilling threats.

Hearing that he might have attacked again, the woman agreed to pursue the case and the attacker was eventually tried at York Crown Court.

Today Leah’s family welcomed the sentence and branded Franks a ‘coward’ after he refused to face them in court and instead appeared via video link from prison.

An inquest into Leah’s death will also be held in December to determine how she died and whether what happened is in any way linked to Franks’ alleged attack.

Kristian John Franks (pictured), 35, attacked 16-year-old schoolgirl Leah Bedford days before she went missing

Leah’s father Paul Bedford at York Crown Court after Kristian Franks’ sentencing

Mr Bedford stands with Leah’s supporters and relatives at York Crown Court

The grinning worker throughout the sentence at York Crown Court showed no remorse for the rape of Leah or his other victim, whom he attacked in chillingly similar circumstances six years ago.

He followed both victims in his white van before convincing them to get in.

Leah’s father Paul Bedford, 55, said: ‘Both my daughter and the other girl showed great courage to come forward.

Franks showed nothing but cowardice, threatening both of his victims and refusing to leave jail to face us in court.

‘He grinned throughout the hearing, which shows the kind of man he is.’

The court heard Franks raped his first victim in May 2017 but withdrew the allegations after she and family members made threats against him and his mother.

But when he raped Leah in September 2023, North Yorkshire Police re-examined the case and Franks was charged with both offences.

Leah disappeared from her home before her trial and her body was found in the River Ouse eight days later.

The Crown Prosecution Service was forced to drop the rape charge against Leah, but video evidence was shown to the jury at the trial and the tragic teenager’s grave testimony helped convict Franks.

Leah was last seen by friends on the morning of September 20 and it was confirmed on CCTV later the same day that she was seen on the edge of the River Ouse.

Franks’ first victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said in a victim impact statement read by prosecutor Joe Culley: ‘This attack has irrevocably changed the course of my life. Since then I’ve had to rebuild my life from scratch, piece by piece.’

She said the traumatic rape deprived her of her independence, confidence and ‘carefree’ nature.

‘I’ll never be the same. Nightmares still haunt me. “Even after eight years, I couldn’t do anything for weeks,” he said.

‘Fear determines my every move. Darkness has become my enemy.

‘Seeing white minibuses, an ordinary detail for most, can literally send me into a panic attack. Hearing your name is enough to give me goosebumps.’

Franks was found guilty of the 2017 rape following a trial, and five jurors attended the court to see him convicted of that crime and another charge of escaping police custody.

Recorder of York Sean Morris sentenced Franks to 14 years and 9 months in prison, of which he must serve 8 years and 9 months. He was also given a 20-year sexual harm prevention order.

Passing sentence, the judge said Franks met his first victim on a night out in York and they visited several bars, dancing and chatting before sharing a taxi.

Franks asked the taxi driver to come to his house before dropping him off, but he refused and said he wanted to go home.

Leah’s body seen on CCTV before found in river

Franks then got into his own white van and followed the taxi to her house. The taxi driver noticed this and warned the woman.

He confronted Franks and asked him ‘what are you doing here’ before trying to enter his home.

“Tragically he had forgotten his keys, tragically his mother was asleep and tragically his phone wasn’t working,” Recorder Morris said.

Claiming that his own phone was dead, Franks invited him to hop in his van and charge his phone. When she did this, he went to a remote spot and raped her.

“You refused to take ‘No’ for an answer,” Recorded Morris told Franks, noting that it was “eerily” similar to the attack on Leah six years later.

Recorder Morris said to Franks about this rape:’

The first victim immediately reported Franks to the police.

During the trial, the woman told the jury that within a day or two of going to police, she received death threats from fake Facebook profiles and a message that her family’s house was going to be bombed, as well as a barrage of calls from private numbers.

She was so scared that she went to the police and withdrew her complaint. Then the threats and missed calls ended. He said he had never received such messages before or since.

The court heard he ‘buried this nightmare deep in his soul’ until the rape of Leah forced him to revisit it.

Recorder Morris said Leah had been enjoying a night out drinking in York city center and had become surprisingly inebriated.

Two weeks before she died, Leah accused site worker Franks of sexually assaulting her.

Franks slowly followed her in his vehicle before dishonestly convincing a friend who was trying to protect her that he knew Leah’s sister and could take her home safely.

After being ‘stranded’ in his vehicle, he took Leah to a secluded spot and raped her.

“Since you were not convicted in this case, you do not need to be sentenced because unfortunately Leah is no longer with us,” the judge said.

‘But this evidence was presented as relevant evidence for the jury to hear.

He added: ‘I have seen you and heard you give evidence, I see you as a narcissistic, predatory man who cannot conceive of the idea that any woman would not want to have sex with you.’

‘You pose a significant risk of causing serious harm to other women by committing serious sexual offences.’

The court heard Leah was reported missing two weeks after accusing Franks of rape, and after an eight-day search, her body was found in the River Ouse in York on September 28, 2023.

North Yorkshire Coroner’s Court heard he was last seen near Lendal Bridge just before 4am on September 20.

At the opening of the investigation, it was said that the cause of the woman’s death is currently unknown and the investigation has been postponed to a later date.

Leah’s body was pulled from the river near Terry Boulevard.

The three-day inquest into Leah’s death will begin on December 8.

Outside court after Franks was jailed, Leah’s aunt Leoni Speight said: ‘Two years ago we lost our beloved Leah. In the days following his death, we received information that a man named Kristian John Franks was in custody for allegedly raping Leah.

‘However, he was acquitted because the woman was dead and he could no longer provide evidence.

‘For the last two years our family has had to live with the pain of knowing that Leah will never have the chance to see the justice that is served today.

‘We would like to express our deepest admiration and respect to the brave woman who came forward after being raped by the Franks.

‘With strength, courage and determination, justice was finally achieved.

‘Leah’s voice was heard in her fight. His spirit and truth live on because of the courage of others who refuse to be silenced.

‘We continue to remember Leah with love and pride and will stand with all survivors of sexual violence in their quest for justice and healing.’

Police Staff Inspector Amy Gilgrist, of North Yorkshire Police, said: ‘The victim in the 2017 case showed tremendous courage to come to court eight years later and give compelling and compelling evidence against her abuser. I would also like to thank every witness who attended to give evidence on short notice in such a sad case.

‘Franks has attempted to disprove his victims’ accounts throughout this entire investigation. He believes himself to be above the law and shows no remorse for his actions.

‘The jury found that after all the evidence presented to them he was guilty and will face the consequences of his actions. I hope this verdict will bring some relief to the victim and Leah’s family, knowing that both women were heard, listened to and believed.’