A man convicted of two rapes has been sentenced to over 14 years in prison after attacking his final victim just weeks before her body was discovered in a river.

Brave 16-year-old Leah Bedford accused Kristian John Franks, a 35-year-old laborer, of sexual assault prior to her untimely passing.

Leah’s lifeless body was found in the River Ouse in York on September 28, 2023.

She was last spotted on CCTV footage eight days earlier near Lendal Bridge by the riverbank.

Two weeks before her death, Leah provided North Yorkshire Police with a detailed account of the assault perpetrated by Franks.

However, the charges against Franks were ultimately dropped as Leah could not be cross-examined following her death, leading to concerns about the fairness of the trial.

However, armed with the teenager’s harrowing account of assault, North Yorkshire Police contacted another woman who made a complaint against Franks in 2017 – but dropped it after receiving chilling threats.

Having heard he had likely struck again, the woman agreed to go through with the case and the attacker was finally put on trial at York Crown Court.   

Today Leah’s family welcomed the sentence and branded Franks – who refused to face them in court and instead appeared by video link from prison – ‘a coward’.

An inquest into Leah’s death will also be held in December to establish how she died and whether what happened was in any way related to the alleged attack by Franks.

The labourer, who smirked throughout the sentencing at York Crown Court, has shown no remorse for the rape of Leah or his other victim, who he attacked six years before in chillingly similar circumstances. 

He trailed both victims in his white van before convincing them to get in.

Leah’s father Paul Bedford, 55, said: ‘Both my daughter and the other girl showed great courage to come forward.

‘Franks has shown nothing but cowardice, making threats to both his victims, and refusing to leave jail to face us in court.

‘He smirked throughout the hearing, which just shows what type of man he is.’

The court heard Franks raped his first victim in May, 2017, but she dropped the allegations after he and his family members made threats against her and her mother.

However, when he raped Leah in September 2023, North Yorkshire Police revisited her case and Franks was charged with both offences.

Before his trial Leah went missing from home and her body was found eight days later in the River Ouse. 

The Crown Prosecution Service was forced to drop the rape charge relating to Leah, but her video evidence was played to the jury in the trial and the tragic teen’s testimony from the grave help convict Franks.

In a victim impact statement read by prosecutor Joe Culley, Franks’ first victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said: ‘This attack irrevocably changed the course of my life. Since that day I’ve been forced to rebuild my life from the ground piece by piece.’

She said the traumatic rape has stripped her of independence, confidence and her ‘carefree’ nature.

‘I will never be the same. The nightmares still plague me. I spent weeks unable to function,’ she said, even eight years later.

‘Fear dictates my every move. Darkness has become my enemy.

‘Seeing white vans, a mundane detail for most, can send me spiraling into a full-blown panic attack. Hearing his name is enough to make my skin crawl.’

Franks was found guilty of the 2017 rape after a trial and five jurors attended court to see him sentenced to that offence and another offence of escaping police custody.

Recorder of York Sean Morris sentenced Franks and extended prison term of 14 years and nine months, of which he must serve 8 years and nine months. He was also placed on a sexual harm prevention order for 20 years.

Passing sentence, the judge said Franks has met his first victim on a night out in York, and they visited a number of bars, danced and chatted before sharing a taxi.

Franks asked her to come into his house before the taxi driver dropped him off, but she refused and said she wanted to go home.

Franks then got in his own white van and followed the taxi to her house. The taxi driver had spotted this and warned the woman.

She confronted Franks and asked him ‘what are you doing here’ before trying to get into her house.

‘Tragically, she had forgotten her keys, tragically her mother was asleep, tragically her phone was dead,’ said Recorder Morris.

Franks, who claimed his own phone was dead, invited her to hop into his van and charge her phone. When she did he drove to a remote spot and raped her.

‘You refused to take ‘no’ for an answer,’ Recorded Morris told Franks, noting it was ‘eerily’ similar to the attack on Leah six years later.

The first victim immediately reported Franks to the police.

During the trial the woman told the jury that within a day or two of going to police, she received death threats and a message that her family home would be petrol bombed from fake Facebook profiles, as well as a barrage of calls from withheld numbers.

She was so frightened she went to police and withdrew her complaint. The threats and missed calls then ceased. She said she had never received such messages before or since.

The court heard she had ‘buried that nightmare deep in her psyche’ until the rape of Leah forced her to revisit them.

Recorder Morris said Leah was out enjoying a night drinking in York city centre and was staggering drunk.

Franks stalked her in his vehicle at a slow pace before dishonestly convincing a friend, who was trying to protect her, that he knew Leah’s sister and he could get her home safely.

Once ‘trapped’ in his vehicle he drove Leah to a secluded spot and raped her.

‘You do not fall to be sentenced for that case as you have not been convicted of it because sadly Leah is no longer with us,’ said the judge.

‘But that evidence was adduced as relevant evidence for the jury to hear.’ 

He added: ‘Having seen you and heard you give evidence, I regard you as a narcissist, predatory male, who could not contemplate the idea that any female would not want to have sex with you.

‘You pose a significant risk of causing serious harm to other females by committing serious sexual offences.’

The court heard that a fortnight after accusing Franks of rape, Leah was reported missing and after an eight-day search, her body was found in the River Ouse on September 28, 2023.

North Yorkshire Coroner’s Court heard that she was last seen near Lendal Bridge just before 4am on 20 September.

The inquest opening was told the cause of her death was currently unknown and the inquest was adjourned to a later date.

Leah’s body was recovered from the river near Terry Avenue.

A three day inquest into Leah’s death starts on December 8.

Outside court after Franks was jailed, Leah’s aunt Leoni Speight, stated: ‘Two years ago we lost our beloved Leah. In the days following her passing we were informed that a man Kristian John Franks was on remand for the alleged rape of Leah.

‘However, because she had died and could no longer give evidence he was acquitted.

‘For the past two years our family has had to live with the pain of knowing that Leah would never have the chance to see the justice that has been served today.

‘We want to express our deepest admiration and respect for the brave woman who came forward after also been subjected to rape by Franks.

‘Through he strength, courage and determination justice has finally been achieved.

‘In her fight, Leah’s voice was heard. Her spirit and truth lives on through the bravery of others who refused to be silenced.

‘We continue to remember Leah with love and pride and we will stand with all survivors of sexual violence in the pursuit of justice and healing.’

Police Staff Investigator Amy Gilgrist from North Yorkshire Police said: ‘The victim of the 2017 case showed immense courage to come to court eight years later and she gave compelling and impactful evidence against her abuser. I also want to thank every single witness who attended to provide evidence, at short notice, in such a distressing case.

‘Franks has tried throughout the whole of this investigation, to undermine the accounts of his victims. He believes himself to be above the law and has shown no remorse for the acts he carried out.

‘The jury has established following all the evidence put to them, that he is guilty and will face the consequences of his actions. I hope this verdict can bring some comfort to the victim and Leah’s family, knowing that both women have been heard, listened to and believed.’