Overview

• The pair operated in Peterlee during the mid-to-late 1980s, raping a primary schoolgirl and sexually abusing a boy while Neil Willis also assaulted two additional children.
• Durham Constabulary opened its inquiry after a survivor went to police in 2019, leading three more victims to come forward with their accounts.
• Following a two-and-a-half-week trial, Neil Willis and Anthony Douglas were convicted of rape, indecent assault, buggery and gross indecency with a child.
• On July 14, Willis received a 13-year prison sentence and Douglas was jailed for 16 years with a one-year extended licence, and both were placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.
• Survivors delivered powerful impact statements about lifelong harm and police are urging anyone affected by historic sexual offences to report to Durham Constabulary.