Man faces 'very substantial' sentence after admitting raping girl in 1978
THIS is the former taxi driver who has been warned he faces a "very substantial" jail sentence after admitting raping a teenage girl in Cleethorpes nearly 33 years ago.
Michael Tomlinson, 54, has pleaded guilty to raping the terrified 17-year-old in a field off Buck Beck Road, near the Wellow Hotel, as she walked home from The Flamingo nightclub at about 11.30pm on August 3, 1978. Tomlinson, who was 21 at the time, is said to have held a coat over the girl's head and raped her while she pleaded for her life.
As reported then, the incident attracted major publicity at the time, with appeals for information featuring on the front page of the Grimsby Telegraph six times – but nobody was ever brought to justice. Tomlinson, whose address cannot be given for legal reasons, was finally arrested for the offence last week as a result of Humberside Police's Operation Fox – an ongoing review of historical sex cases.
Richard Butters, mitigating at Grimsby Crown Court yesterday, said: "The defendant was arrested and immediately admitted his guilt. He said he has been living with this for the last 33 years and said he wanted to give a full and frank interview." Mr Butters said that Tomlinson has led an otherwise "blame-free" life.
The court heard how Tomlinson had worked as a taxi driver for 25 years but had his licence revoked last week when the allegations came to light. Recorder Tahir Khan told Tomlinson: "You will receive, without a shadow of doubt, a very substantial period of imprisonment for the very grave offence which you committed a number of years ago."
Tomlinson, who arrived at court with a bag of belongings and did not expect to have his bail extended, was remanded in custody. He will face sentence, finally bringing the case to a conclusion after more than three decades, on Friday, June 17.
