Stamford man pleads guilty to nine counts of rape

Update, 20 February 2026

Joshua Springer was today (Friday, 20 February) handed a 21-year sentence, having previously pleaded guilty to nine charges of rape.

Springer, who is now 36 years old, was jailed following a hearing at Lincoln Crown Court.

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the rest of his life.

His offences related to three victims who were suffering from dementia, at a residential care home for elderly people in the Stamford area; and a fourth victim in the North Yorkshire area.

We have not named the care home, or the location in North Yorkshire, to protect the anonymity of Springer’s victims.

Springer was also sentenced for making indecent images of children, for which he had also previously pleaded guilty.

Detective Chief Inspector Jennifer Lovatt, of East Midlands Special Operations Unit, is again appealing for anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Springer – who is also known as Joshua Kearney and Joshua Kearney Springer – to contact us.

"While Springer has today been sentenced for his horrific crimes, that does not mean that our investigations have stopped,” said DCI Lovatt.

"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 28 November. If you want to remain anonymous, then you can call Crimsteoppers on 0800 555 111.

"Today’s result shows that offenders will be brought to justice, so if you think you have been affected, please get in touch.”

Springer, formerly of Cornstall Buildings in Stamford, pleaded guilty to nine charges of rape when appearing at Lincoln Crown Court on 2 December 2025.

If you’ve been the victim of rape or sexual assault or any other sexual offence please report it to us or your local police service as soon as possible. And if you’re not ready to talk to the police yet, that’s ok.

Follow this link here - Support for victims of rape and sexual assault | Lincolnshire Police (lincs.police.uk) to find out what other organisations can help and support you.

You can report a rape and sexual assault here - How to report rape and sexual assault | Lincolnshire Police (lincs.police.uk)

Original release, 3 December, 2025

A man accused of raping four women has pleaded guilty to his crimes.

Joshua Springer of Cornstall Buildings in Stamford appeared at Lincoln Crown Court on Tuesday, 2 December where he pleaded guilty to nine charges of rape.

Six charges are evenly split between three women while the remaining three charges are connected to a fourth woman.

Three of his victims were based at a Lincolnshire care home, while a fourth victim was located at an address in the North Yorkshire area.

The 35-year-old also pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children – including those in the most extreme category.

Springer had been arrested and subsequently charged in relation to several offences on 26 July.

It came a month after Lincolnshire Police were called to investigate reports vulnerable people had been sexually assaulted at an elderly residential care home in the Stamford area.

We have not named this care home, or the location in North Yorkshire, to protect the anonymity of Springer’s victims.

Springer appeared at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on 28 July shortly after his arrest and was remanded into custody before he appeared yesterday to enter his plea.

He will now appear at Lincoln Crown Court to be sentenced on Friday, 6 February.

Detective Chief Inspector Jennifer Lovatt thanked the family of the victims in this case for their courage and patience.

She said: “Springer’s actions show a clear lack of human decency and respect for the victims he targeted.

“He abused a position of trust and used the access he had to attack some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

“It is appalling, and my heart goes out to the victims and their families.

“The impact of Springer’s actions cannot be overestimated and will have long-lasting consequences. It was imperative that we got him behind bars and out of our community.

“I’d like to pay tribute to the women at the centre of this case and their families.

“Their courage and dignity cannot be put into words, and I hope that by bringing Springers to justice, they feel some form of comfort even if the road ahead is a long one.

“Cases like this have an enormous impact on family, friends, work colleagues and so on.

“Our investigations continue into Joshua Springer who has also used the surname Kearney and Kearney Springer if you believe you may have been a victim of him and/or have any information then we would encourage anyone to contact us to do so either by calling 101 (ask for Lincolnshire Police) quoting inc 272 of 28 November, anonymously through crime stoppers.

“If you’ve been the victim of rape or sexual assault or any other sexual offence not connected to Springer, then please report it to us or your local police service as soon as possible. I want to assure victims, we will listen – there are various ways you can get in touch, but please do not be afraid to. We are here to support you.

“Even if you’re not 100 per cent sure, we want to hear from you so that we can make sure you’re safe.

“If you’re not ready to talk to the police just yet, that’s OK.”

Follow this link here - Support for victims of rape and sexual assault | Lincolnshire Police (lincs.police.uk) to find out what other organisations can help and support you.

You can report a rape and sexual assault here - How to report rape and sexual assault | Lincolnshire Police (lincs.police.uk)