‘Night stalker’ jailed for life

Judge tells Delroy Grant his crimes are ‘in a league of their own’ and says he should face possibility he may die in prison The serial sex attacker Delroy Grant has been sentenced to life in prison for the 17 years of terror in which he attacked at least 203 elderly people in their homes. The “night stalker” will serve at least 27 years and was warned by the judge that he could die in prison. Grant, 53, who was convicted at Woolwich crown court, London, on Thursday of 29 charges relating to burglaries, attempted burglaries, rapes and indecent assaults against 18 elderly people between October 1992 and November 2009, was told by Judge Peter Rook: “Your offending is in a league of its own.” The Metropolitan police force has apologised for blunders which led to 146 attacks being committed after he should have been arrested . The judge told Grant, a former minicab driver, he was a “very dangerous man capable of committing heinous crimes and causing incalculable harm”. “You targeted elderly victims living alone. Your actions blighted the remaining precious years of their lives. Their homes, where many of them had lived for years, should have been their safest refuge where they could have expected to live their lives undisturbed and at peace. “You chose to invade their homes when they were in their beds at night. It’s hard to imagine the extreme fear that the feel of your gloved hand and the sight of your masked figure looming above them must have been felt by your victims in their beds.” The court also heard statements on Friday from Grant’s victims and their families about the impact of his crimes. One 85-year-old woman, referred to as Miss J for legal reasons, said she still continued to suffer from her ordeal nearly nine years ago. She was 77 when Grant burgled and indecently assaulted her at her bungalow in Shirley, Croydon, in October 2002. In a statement from 2003, she said: “I have found that time is not a great healer. I don’t think it’s got any easier over the last year. I certainly haven’t got back my peace of mind. Nobody can guarantee it won’t happen again.” Asked by the judge if her experiences at Grant’s hands still affected her, Miss J replied: “If I go out I like to be home before dark. I do a lot of locking and bolting, and taking precautions … It changed my life.” The judge paid tribute to Miss J’s “courageous” testimony and quoted from the son of another of Grant’s victims, who said: “It has ruined the winter years of my mother’s life, and she has to live with this for the rest of her life.” Grant received four life sentences for three rapes and one attempted rape of elderly women. He was also given concurrent eight-year sentences for seven indecent assaults, and concurrent six-year sentences for 18 burglaries and attempted burglaries. Courtenay Griffiths QC, defending, offered no mitigation for Grant other than to point out that his age meant he would probably spend the rest of his life in jail. The judge noted that in all but one case Grant targeted elderly people living alone, suggesting that his attacks involved considerable planning. He said: “Your offending spans a period of 17 years. Five London boroughs were affected by your offending. During that period your activities must have terrified a whole community, as your counsel accepted. “Thousands of people in south London have been living in fear that they might be your next victim.” Crime James Meikle guardian.co.uk

Posted by on March 25, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.