An Oswaldtwistle rapist has been found guilty of 43 sex offences against five children and one woman.
Peter Alan Barnes (57) of Central Avenue, appeared at Preston Crown Court, where he admitted a further offence against a second adult victim before the trial started.
The offences spanned four decades and Barnes’s youngest victim was just nine-years old. She was sexually assaulted and raped.
Barnes was charged in relation to four of his victims in April 2023 and remanded to custody. While he was awaiting trial, three further victims came forward.
Following the verdicts, Barnes was remanded back into custody to be sentenced on Friday.
He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Abhorrent behaviour
DC Hazel Richardson said: “Barnes is a predatory individual who deliberately prayed on vulnerable children and adults for his own perverted sexual interests.
“These victims have suffered significant life changing trauma after what Barnes did to them, which has affected their physical and mental wellbeing into adult life.
“They have shown incredible bravery in firstly coming forward and then reliving their ordeals by giving evidence in court. Rightly, the jury saw through Barnes’s web of lies and have made him accountable for his abhorrent behaviour.
“I hope the outcome of this case will encourage other victims to come forward, knowing they will be believed, listened to and that we will do everything in our power to put the perpetrator before the courts.”
If you have been the victim of a sexual offence, report it online via or call 101.
