Teenager found guilty at Leicester court of bid to rape woman of 91

A teenager has been convicted by a jury of trying to rape a 91-year-old woman during a burglary. Ashley Lawrence assaulted the pensioner and pressed a pillow on to her face after breaking into her Hinckley home.

European Phoenix -- After yesterday's verdict, Leicester Crown Court was told Lawrence, 18, of no fixed address, had twice escaped from detention centres while he was waiting to go on trial. When he was on the run from police, he committed further crimes, including burgling an elderly couple's home while they were asleep. Yesterday, he was remanded to an adult prison to await sentencing.

Judge Michael Pert QC said: "You are, on the face of it, a very dangerous young man.

"I'm not looking at anything other than a substantial custodial sentence."

Lawrence was on remand for the attempted rape when he first escaped from a young offender institute in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, on October 3 last year.

After being spotted in Earl Shilton the next day, police tactical support officers, armed with Tasers, went from house to house searching gardens and sheds while the force helicopter hovered overhead. He was found hiding in the conservatory of a house in Vicarage Street.

On October 21, he broke out of Hindley Young Offenders' Institute, near Wigan, and was apprehended in Birmingham three days later. His escapes were described by Judge Pert as: "The stuff of movies."

Felicity Gerry, prosecuting, told the court: "He's very daring. It involved him leaping wall-to-wall, going over razor-wires, stealing cars and hiding in car boots."

While on the run he burgled an elderly couple's home while they were asleep and broke into a shed to spray-paint his white prison-issue trainers black.

He admitted these crimes and will be sentenced for them along with the other offences.

He is now being held in the more secure HMP Woodhill, Milton Keynes.

Yesterday, the jury unanimously found Lawrence guilty of attempting to rape the pensioner in her home and sexually assaulting her, by an 11-1 majority.

The victim, in a video recording played in court during the four-day trial, described waking up to find a burglar in her bedroom at night.

She said: "I started squealing. He jumped on top of me. I was kicking him off. He put a pillow over my face for quite a while. He tried to rape me."

She said he asked where the money was before leaving.

Miss Gerry said the phone was ripped out.

The pensioner, in a battered, bruised and distressed state, dressed and went outside to seek help from a nearby property. Lawrence's DNA was found on her pillow.

Before the attempted rape trial, Lawrence admitted burgling the pensioner's home and stealing a television and jewellery, while two accomplices waited outside, on September 23 last year.

But he denied the sex offences, telling the jury: "I'm not scum. I don't break into old people's houses. That, to me, is disgusting."

He went on to say that at 17, his age at the time, he had "no problem" getting sex.

He added: "If I'd wanted to have raped her I would have done, but I didn't."

He claimed he was heavily drunk and earlier smoked "skunk" cannabis.

When Lawrence gave evidence, up to 15 guards and police were deployed inside and outside the court room.

In the secure, fully glass-screened dock Lawrence was flanked by five security officers.

The jury was told Lawrence was a security risk.

Det Insp Simon Shuttleworth, who led the investigation, said after the verdict: "This was a horrific crime against an elderly woman.

"It's one thing being the victim of burglary but to be subjected to such a vile assault is on another level all together.

"Lawrence is a dangerous individual who twice escaped from prison whilst on remand and continued to commit crime.

"The victim has shown immense bravery throughout the police investigation.

" We are pleased with the verdict and hope that this goes someway in helping the victim to move on with her life."