Trowbridge man jailed for 17 years following attacks on teenage girls

A 26-year-old man from Trowbridge has been sentenced to 17 years imprisonment plus a five year supervision order for attempted rape and grievous bodily harm (GBH).

Stephen Sydney Chant, of Seymour Road, appeared at Swindon Crown Court today (17/7), after pleading guilty to two counts of attempted stranger rape on two teenage girls, a Section 18 GBH and one count of sexual assault.

Chant admitted approaching a teenage girl on a footpath between the railway station and Langford Road at about 6.30pm on 25 July 2022. He had been hiding in bushes before running towards her, and hitting her over the head, before attempting to rape her. She bravely fought back, and a passer-by bravely intervened, allowing her to escape.

Chant also pleaded guilty to another charge of attempted rape on a second teenage girl that had occurred in April 2022, and a sexual assault on a young adult female that occurred in August 2021.

Detective Inspector Tom Straker praised the victims for their bravery, and his officers for their hard work and dedication.

He said: “Chant is clearly a very dangerous man who preyed on young women in Trowbridge. His victims have been incredibly brave and I cannot praise them enough for how they have worked with my team to help us to get him convicted and imprisoned. 

“I would also like to say how proud I am of the officers from our Community Policing Team and my detectives from the Central CID who identified Chant as being responsible for these horrific crimes and who carried out such a thorough investigation that he had no option but to plead guilty. This in turn saved his victims - who had already gone through an unimaginable ordeal - from reliving the trauma at a trial. A sexual predator has now been removed from society, safeguarding those within our communities.”

• Wiltshire Police would always urge victims of sexual offences to report these to the police. You can do this online here: Report a crime | Wiltshire Police or by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency.
• Victims can also seek support and counselling from the Swindon and Wiltshire Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) - they can be contacted on the helpline 01793 781916.