Nottinghamshire sex offender jailed for 24 years after new victims come forward

Neil Piggott, now aged 46, was previously jailed in 2019 for sexually assaulting another child two years before.

The publicity surrounding that conviction encouraged further victims of his offending to come forward and approach Nottinghamshire Police in 2021.

One woman reported that he had raped her twice when she was a teenager in the late 1990s.

Another young person gave an account of a previously unreported sexual assault in 2017, whilst a third victim explained how Piggott had posed as someone else to extract personal photographs from her in 2013.

Piggott initially declined to comment in his police interview and later pleaded not guilty to four charges.

After a trial at Nottingham Crown Court in September, he was found guilty of two counts of raping a female under the age of 16, one count of inciting the exploitation of a child, and one count of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 13.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday 28 October, Piggott, of no fixed address, was given an extended 24 year prison sentence after being designated as a dangerous offender.

Detective Constable Ruth Statham, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was a complex and evolving investigation with three victims whose abuse at the hands of Neil Piggott spanned 20 years.

“The courage these victims have shown in coming forward to tell of their harrowing experiences at this man’s hands cannot be underestimated.

“I hope these unanimous guilty verdicts will offer some closure to these victims after what has been an arduous legal process.

“I hope also that this conviction serves as a reminder to all victims that it is never too late to report childhood abuse.

“You will be listened to; you will be supported and we will investigate diligently to bring offenders to justice.”