Man who raped Derbyshire boxer is jailed

Jason Lee Lyttle, 31, of Lightwood Road, Marsh Lane, near Eckington, was sentenced at Derby Crown Court on Friday, October 26, after pleading guilty to buggery and two counts of indecent assault committed between January and July 2001.

Lyttle now faces six years and three months behind bars, with an extended licence period of one year.

Earlier this year, Callum, now 27, publicly revealed details of the attack to help other survivors of sexual abuse.

Callum, who works as a scaffolder alongside his boxing career, spoke of the ordeal to our journalist Bob Westerdale, describing how Lyttle had bullied him for much of his young life before the terrifying attack took place.

He said: “I was about 10 years old. I was building a den in the Birkhill area of Eckington and he rocked up, pretending he was going to help me.

“He was five years older than me and had tormented me for years. He’d locked me in a garage, and beaten me up numerous times.

“Once, he and another boy stripped off my clothes and threw me in freezing water in the dip of a BMX track.”

He added: “They whipped me with sticks. He had birds of prey and bit the head off a chick. That’s what he was like. He was terrifying.

“I was wary and said he didn’t have to help me build the den, but he insisted. Then he raped me.”

After the attack, Lyttle issued Callum with a warning.

“He told me: ‘Everybody does this when you get older. This is what you do at big school. It’s like smoking. If you tell your parents you’ll be in a lot of trouble.”

For years, Callum was haunted by the memory of the horrific attack, and was driven to the brink of suicide.

Eventually, after confronting his assailant in a chance encounter, Callum notified the police of the historic abuse.

He said: “After going to the police, I’ve gone from strength to strength.

“I’ve opened up, revealed the truth and no longer living a lie. I’m a different person.”

Callum returned to competitive boxing in September after a three-year absence.

He is now working with Duncan Craig of Survivors Manchester, a voluntary organisation for male survivors of sexual abuse.

In Derbyshire, male victims of abuse can ring a helpline on 08000 198668 or contact SV2, an organisation supporting victims of sexual violence, via www.sv2.org.uk or 01773 746115.

Alternatively, contact the CORE victim support service on 0800 6126505 or www.core-derbyshire.com.