December 2020

Rapist forced wife to have four abortions and molested stepdaughter

A monstrous rapist made his wife’s life “a living hell” and sexually assaulted his step-daughter as she slept.

Trevor Gleeson, 39, subjected Emma Gleeson and teenage Gina Gleeson to a catalogue of repulsive abuse at the family’s Wirral home.

Judge Garrett Byrne told the dad-of-two: “Emma Gleeson described you as a monster. Certainly your behaviour was monstrous.”

Both Emma, 38, and Gina, 17, wanted to waive their right to anonymity as victims of sexual offences, so the true extent and impact of Gleeson’s horrific crimes can be revealed.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how the vile husband, of Claremont Way, Bebington, raped his wife on Valentine’s Day, forcing her to perform a sex act, then was later heard by his son to say: “I’ll rape you properly next time.”

He also forced Emma to have four abortions against her wishes and “threatened to kick the babies out of her” unless she complied.

He regularly attacked his traumatised wife and was seen by his son to slap her, then throw food on the floor and tell her to eat it like a dog.

The monster crept into his stepdaughter’s bedroom – sometimes three times a week – to sexually assault her as she slept between the ages of 14 and 16.

Gleeson also photographed and took videos of Gina as he did this, who felt “terrified” and would pretend to be asleep.

The offences came to light after Gina confided in her mum about his abuse on November 20 last year and they both found the courage to go to the police.

Gleeson was arrested as he left work the following evening and when interviewed said he had apologised for the rape and accepted it, but didn’t remember it.

He confessed to once videoing himself touching his stepdaughter’s bottom, which he said he watched but not for sexual arousal, and taking other photos as she slept.

Robert Dudley, prosecuting, said Gleeson claimed he was disgusted in himself and admitted one sexual assault on Gina and taking an indecent photo of her.

But he denied any other wrongdoing, which forced both his victims and his son Marley, 16, to give evidence and relive their ordeals in a harrowing trial.

He was found guilty of rape, assault causing actual bodily harm and controlling or coercive behaviour against Emma and eight counts of sexual assault against Gina.

The court heard Gleeson started seeing Emma 17 years ago, when Gina – who called him “dad” – was a baby, and 15 months later, Marley was born.

Mr Dudley said Emma hated herself for staying with Gleeson, who she described as a monster, but was “scared to do anything”.

The prosecutor said: “He told her that if she finished with him he had nothing worth living for and that he would kill her.”

Judge Byrne told Gleeson he “should have provided a safe and nurturing home” for his family and given them “love and support”, but “failed and failed catastrophically”.

He said: “By a deliberate strategy of inflicting violence and threatening violence, you were able to exert a control over Emma that made her life a living hell.”

The judge said he “methodically eroded her confidence until she had none left”, adding that he was struck by the “broken woman” he saw in Emma’s video interview.

He said: “It is to her great credit that she finally managed to summon up the courage to leave you.”

Judge Byrne said along with the rape in 2008, there was an occasion that year when Emma ran up the stairs to escape her partner, but he grabbed her by the face and throat, bruising her neck.

The court heard he was also violent during controlling and coercive behaviour over a four-year period from December 2015 (when the law came into force) until November 2019.

Judge Byrne told Gleeson: “Throughout that time you hit her and kicked her and held knives to her throat. There were several incidents of violence.

“Examples include the incident when you brought your feet hard down onto her head on the couch; when you struck her in the face with a door chipping her tooth; when you grabbed her ankles and kicked her between the legs; when you pushed food into her face; smashed a chair across her back; and broke her glasses so that she couldn’t see.”

He said Gleeson placed a camera on top of a wardrobe to make Emma think he was watching her; prevented her from going out; and when he did allow her to go out, made her send photographs of who she was seeing and checked her phone for messages.

Referring to the sexual abuse of Gina, the judge said: “This was a cynical and appalling course of conduct, where you were motivated only by your sexual desires.

“It is apparent from your evidence during the trial and from the pre-sentence report that you are in almost complete denial about this.”

Judge Byrne said Emma was left suffering flashbacks and nightmares, was frightened about her children and the effect on them, and “considered suicide as being the only escape that she could see”.

He said Gina suffered from panic attacks and self-harmed, endured depression and felt socially isolated, and in September this year, had tried to take her own life.

The judge said: “She states that your sexual abuse has changed her. The trusting child she used to be is now gone.

“It is apparent that your conduct has had a profound and lasting effect, both on Emma and Gina.”

Gleeson – appearing on a video link from HMP Liverpool – was jailed for 13 years and told he will serve two thirds of the sentence behind bars.

He showed no emotion, but then asked a prison officer: “Do you know what that means?”

Minus his time spent on remand, in effect he has around seven years and eight months of his sentence left in prison.

Gleeson must sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life and comply with an indefinite restraining order, preventing him from contacting Emma or Gina.