The man was sentenced to over 20 years in prison
A man who carried out “horrific” sexual crimes against vulnerable people with dementia has been jailed for over 20 years. Joshua Springer was handed a 21-year sentence after appearing at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday (February 20).
The 36-year-old was also given a sexual harm prevention order for the rest of his life. Springer, formerly of Cornstall Buildings in Stamford near the Cambridgeshire border, previously pleaded guilty to nine charges of rape at the same court on December 2, 2025.
His offences were against three victims suffering from dementia at a residential care home for elderly people in the Stamford area. A fourth victim was in the North Yorkshire area. Of Springer’s nine charges, six were evenly split between three women at the Stamford care home, while the remaining three charges were connected to a fourth woman in North Yorkshire.
The care home and area in Yorkshire are not being named to protect the anonymity of the victims. Springer was also sentenced for making indecent images of children, to which he also pleaded guilty.
Detective chief inspector Jennifer Lovatt, of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: “While Springer has been sentenced for his horrific crimes, that does not mean that our investigations have stopped. [The] result shows that offenders will be brought to justice, so if you think you have been affected, please get in touch.”
DCI Lovatt is appealing for anyone else that may have been a victim of Springer, who is also known as Joshua Kearney and Joshua Kearney Springer, to contact police. The DCI added: “Our team has worked tirelessly for some time in bringing Springer to justice, and there may be other potential victims who perhaps have not yet come forward.
“I’d encourage them to contact us – you can call 101 (ask for Lincolnshire Police) and quote Incident 272 of November 28. If you want to remain anonymous, then you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
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