A senior citizen has been convicted of the repeated rape of a teenage girl and the indecent assault of another female over 40 years ago. Raymond Harrison, aged 73, was employed as a farmer in Keswick, Cumbria at the time he encountered his two victims, whom he lured in with sweets and cigarettes. Initially sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2021, his conviction was later overturned by the Court of Appeal. Following a retrial at Carlisle Crown Court, he was found guilty of 13 sexual assault charges, which included the rape of a young girl. Harrison’s sentencing is scheduled for Tuesday. Jurors were informed that Harrison sexually touched the girls during private encounters. The prosecution detailed how he first raped one girl in a garage, forcibly pinning her against a stone wall. Subsequently, he continued to assault her multiple times over several months, instructing her to keep it a secret from others. The court also heard that Harrison indecently assaulted another girl by kissing her, inserting his tongue in her mouth, and touching her inappropriately under her clothing. Neither girl initially felt comfortable reporting the incidents but eventually spoke to the police in 2017. In his 2021 trial, Harrison was found guilty of various charges and received a 20-year sentence, which was later overturned. In his retrial in 2023, he was convicted of three indecent assault charges and acquitted of 13 other allegations. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on 10 additional charges, leading to a subsequent trial this month. Harrison denied four counts of raping a girl, two charges of indecency with the same child – who was found to have been indecently assaulted by the 2023 jury – and four charges of indecent assault against the second girl. After deliberating for 12-and-a-half hours, the jury unanimously found him guilty on all counts. Harrison remains in custody pending his sentencing. The judge informed Harrison that he is now subject to notification requirements, including registration on the sex offender list. Stay updated with BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor, and Instagram. Share your story ideas with us. For more information, visit the HM Courts and Tribunals Service website.
