York labourer convicted of rape in van had a prior sex-attack accusation linked to Leah Bedford case

Kristian John Franks, 35, was convicted on Sept. 18, 2025, by a York Crown Court jury of raping a woman in a white van in a separate incident dating from about six years before Leah Bedford’s death in York. The verdict marks a new chapter in a case that has already touched the investigation into the disappearance of 16-year-old Leah Bedford, whose body was found in the River Ouse in September 2023. Franks will be sentenced on Oct. 30, with the judge, the Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, requesting probation officers to assess the danger Franks poses to others and determine an appropriate sentence length and conditions.

During the trial, the jury heard that the woman, who did not know Franks, encountered him after dark and declined an invitation to enter his home. Driving a white van, Franks followed her, travelling in a taxi at least part of the way, before taking her to a secluded location and raping her. Franks denied the accusation, but the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict. He has been placed on the sex offenders register.

The Bedford case concerns Leah Bedford, who was last seen near Lendal Bridge in York in the early hours of September 20, 2023. Her body was recovered eight days later from the River Ouse at Terry Avenue on September 28. In the months following her disappearance, police appealed for information as concerns for a missing 16-year-old grew. After Leah’s death, prosecutors dropped the rape charge she had made against Franks after she could no longer be cross-examined.

Franks had previously been acquitted of the 2023 sexual assault claim related to Leah Bedford because she had died before she could testify, and prosecutors said they could not proceed without her cross-examination. Separately, a separate inquest into Leah’s death opened in 2023, with a coroner stating that a cause of death could not be provided at that time. The inquest was slated to examine the circumstances of her disappearance and death and to determine whether public safety or investigative gaps played a role. A three-day inquest into Leah Bedford’s death was scheduled to begin on December 8 of that year.

The sentencing hearing next month will determine the duration and terms of Franks’ punishment for the rape conviction. Prosecutors and defense attorneys are expected to present evidence regarding the impact of the crime on the survivor and Franks’ risk profile as part of the court’s deliberations. The case continues to unfold against the backdrop of Leah Bedford’s death and the ongoing focus on ensuring accountability in cases involving violence against young people in York.