‘He abused his position to intimidate her’: 77-year-old jailed for historic sexual assault at equestrian yard
Geoffrey Green has been sent to prison for four years, for the assault in the 1990s
A 77-year-old man has been jailed for the sexual assault of a young woman more than 30 years ago.
Geoffrey Green, who at the time was well known in the equestrian industry, offended in the early 1990s, at the yard he ran in the Garstang area of Lancashire.
The victim made a report to Lancashire Police in 2022 and Green was interviewed under caution, during which he denied the offences. He was charged with eight counts of rape of a female over the age of 16 and one count of indecent assault.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges at Preston Crown Court, where he was found guilty of indecent assault, and not guilty of the rape offences. He was sentenced to four years in prison and was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.
DC Lydia Dunn, of Lancaster Child Protection said: “Geoffrey Green’s victim was a young woman at the time of the offences, and Green abused his position in the industry to intimidate her.
“The victim has been incredibly brave coming forward all these years later. She has had to live with Green’s actions for more than 30 years. I hope the victim can now begin to move forward knowing that he has been brought to justice.”
DC Dunn said she wants to clarify that however much time has passed, the force takes any report of sexual offences “incredibly seriously”.
“If you make a report to us, we will listen to you, we will investigate appropriately and will do all we can to get you justice,” she said.
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.