Life sentence for Melton man who carried out ‘sadistic reign of terror’

Lee Smith, of Blakeney Crescent, was sentenced for 26 offences over a 10-year period following what police have described as ‘a substantial and complex investigation spanning nine months’.

When officers swooped to arrest Smith in December last year, he barricaded himself inside his home in a stand-off which lasted 12 hours as he made threats to harm himself and others in the property.

Nottingham Crown Court heard how Smith inflicted mental and physical torture on his victims, who were all children when the abuse began, between January 2012 and December 2022.

He regularly subjected two of the victims, who were girls, to acts of sexual assault.

The girls and the third victim, a boy, also faced regular vicious attacks at the hands of Smith – as well as threats or fear of violence.

Now all in their 20s, the enormity of the suffering they had endured came to light in December last year following a report made to police.

Smith was given life imprisonment by a judge at a sentencing hearing yesterday (Monday) and will serve a minimum of 15 years and 111 days.

Officers completed 15 interviews and took 70 witness statements, as well as collating around 65 evidential exhibits and gathering more than 100 items of additional evidence to bring him to justice.

Det Con Emma Ball gave an insight into the the terrible impact Smith’s crimes had on his victims after supporting them alongside colleague, Det Con Chris Sherwin.

Det Con Ball said: “Smith robbed these three people of their childhood and for more than a decade of their lives, they were controlled by his sadistic reign of terror.

“As the officer in charge it has been truly heart-breaking and extremely distressing to hear the horrific abuse the victims endured.

"The courage and strength the victims have shown since Smith’s arrest and throughout this investigation to ensure that justice was served has been incredible.

“While this sentencing will not take away the victims’ pain and suffering, I hope it does help in some small way as they continue to move forward with their lives.”

After initial enquiries were carried out, the case was quickly escalated to specialist detectives for further investigation.

It was then that the full extent of the horrific abuse began to unfold.

It was a few days after the initial report to police that plans were put in place to arrest Smith so he could be questioned.

When police arrested him after a 12-hour siege, which drew upon the expertise of more than 30 officers – including specially trained negotiators, firearms, drone and police dog support and a chief superintendent coordinating the response at the scene – they found cannabis and multiple weapons – including a baton and knuckle dusters.

Alongside the string of crimes against the three victims, Smith was also charged with a number of offences as a result of this incident.

The case was heard over a three weeks in June at Leicester Crown Court, when Smith was found guilty of 21 charges and admitted a further five more. He was sentenced on Monday at Nottingham.