21-year-old Ashington sex offender sentenced to over 5 years following police appeal

On September 24 2024, just before midnight, Devon Critchlow forced his way through the door of a stranger’s Ashington address after the woman opened the door, believing he was someone else.

Critchlow pinned the woman down, punched her in the face and then sexually assaulted her – also forcing his hands around her neck.

After the woman fought back at Critchlow, he then stood up, left the address, and shut the door behind him.

The victim reported the incident to police who immediately attended the address and launched an investigation.

Quickly, an individual was identified on CCTV following the victim home – and Northumbria Police appealed to the public to identify the man. Within hours, members of the public identified Critchlow as the suspect, and he was arrested and interviewed in connection with the report.

As part of the investigation, officers seized a black jacket matching the CCTV images of Critchlow from the time the offences took place and were also able to match fingerprints from the scene with that of Critchlow.

The day after his arrest, Critchlow, of Rochester Close, Ashington, was charged with a string of offences.

In January, he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court, where he pleaded guilty to four offences of assault, non-fatal strangulation, sexual assault, and committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence.

On Wednesday, April 16, he was back at the same court where he was sentenced to five years and three months’ imprisonment with a further five years on licence once he is released.

Critchlow will also spend the rest of his life on the Sex Offenders’ Register and was handed a restraining order to protect the victim.

The officer in charge of the investigation, detective sergeant Steven Gibson, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was a truly shocking and awful incident for the victim who appeared to be targeted for the sole reason that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“I want to stress just how rare these types of incidents are in our region – and when reports such as these come in, we work quickly and doggedly to identify offenders as we did in this case.

“We won’t tolerate the type of predatory behaviour exhibited by Critchlow that night – and I’m glad to see he’s now behind bars.”

Gibson added: “I’d like to thank the victim for being so brave and strong throughout this process. It’s thanks to her courage and support for our investigation that Critchlow is now in prison and unable to hurt anyone else. She should be extremely proud of herself.

“And a massive thanks to members of the public who responded to our appeal at the time and helped us to identify – and then subsequently arrest and charge – Critchlow.

“We know this type of offending causes significant concern through our communities, and this is proof of what we can achieve when we work together.”

Anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse of any form can contact police by sending a direct message on social media, or by using the ‘Report’ forms or live chat function on the Northumbria Police website.