Hull man jailed for historic sex offences

A Hull man who committed ‘grotesque’ crimes against two women when they were younger in a series of non-recent sexual offences has been jailed for 14 and a half years

He will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life, and was also handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Peter Horwood, 32-years-old, of Tickton Grove in Hull, was found guilty of 11 offences including child sex offences following a four-day trial at Hull Crown Court in January.

Horwood was sentenced last week (Friday, 27 March 2026).

Officers from our Protecting Vulnerable People Unit first launched an investigation into Horwood when we received a report in 2012 from a woman alleging that she had been sexually assaulted by Horwood when she was a child.

Horwood was subsequently arrested at his home address in June 2019, and detectives conducted a number of enquiries including forensic examination to start building a case against him.

Investigation took some time

When someone has been sexually abused by someone they know, the process can be complex, lengthy and understandably daunting, meaning that individuals may not want to fully engage with an investigation if they do not feel ready to do so, which was the situation in this case back in 2012.

As a result, despite Horwood being arrested, there were no charges brought against him due to evidential difficulties and being unable to progress the investigation at the time.

In 2019, we then received a third-party report claiming that Horwood had sexually assaulted another woman, leading to Horwood being further arrested and forensically examined in June 2019.

Ten years after we received the first allegation against Horwood, the same woman came forward in 2022 reporting what had happened to her, confirming she was now ready to make a formal complaint against Horwood.

Horwood was arrested again and during interview denied any involvement, proceeding to answer no comment to all questions put to him.

He was subsequently charged with 11 counts of sexual offences and pleaded not guilty to all offences.

Investigations of this nature are extremely complex

Detective Constable Steve Bromby from our Protecting Vulnerable People Unit said: “I would first like to commend the immense courage and perseverance shown by the two women in this case, as it is only with their strength and determination for justice that Horwood is now behind bars.

“I want to also acknowledge how incredibly difficult it is to come forward in the first place and completely understand and respect the woman’s decision to not originally support the investigation when she first reported Horwood to us in 2012.

“I hope this provides some comfort to others to know that at any point, if you feel like you are not quite ready you can decide that you don’t want to progress with supporting the wider investigation.

“Equally, over time, or even in years to come like in this case, you can also make the decision to come forward again and we will support and encourage you throughout the entire judiciary process.

“Investigations of this nature are extremely complex and can be prolonged, but Horwood added to this by forcing them to relive the pain and trauma he put them through with by refusing to admit his guilt and making them endure the gruelling ordeal of a trial, further preventing them from trying to move on with their lives.

“I would always urge people to come forward, as this result at court shows that no matter when sexual offences are committed, whether yesterday, last year or decades ago, those who choose to inflict such grotesque sexual crimes on others are held accountable for their actions.

First for all the latest news from across the UK every hour on Hits Radio on DAB, at hitsradio.co.uk and on the Rayo app.