‘Night Stalker’ trial jury retires

Delroy Grant denies offences including rape and sexual assault of elderly people in Surrey, Kent and south London The jury has retired to consider the case against Delroy Grant, accused of being the notorious “night stalker” who raped, sexually assaulted and burgled elderly people over a 17-year period in Surrey, Kent and south London. Grant, 53, is accused of having attacked 18 women and men, the oldest of whom was 89 years old, in their homes between 1992 and 2009. The former minicab driver is accused of having raped or sexually assaulted a total of nine people. The true number of victims, however, is believed to have reached 200. Dismissing the jury at Woolwich crown court to consider their verdict, judge Peter Rook QC acknowledged the horror of the crimes committed. He asked them, however, not to let their “understandable disgust and revulsion” taint their deliberations. Rook pointed to the “distinct pattern” of Grant’s crimes. The perpetrator would wait until night to break into the homes of his elderly victims, all but one of whom lived alone. Wearing gloves and a balaclava, he shut off his victims’ electricity and phonelines, and removed lightbulbs. Only then would he wake his victim. The first rape he is accused of committing, in 1992, was so brutal that the 89-year-old female victim nearly died. Grant’s DNA evidence was found at 10 of the crime scenes. He maintains, however, that his ex-wife, 53-year-old Janet Watson, arranged for a friend to plant his semen and saliva. He argued that she had collected the body fluids during their four-year relationship as part of a plan to frame him. Their relationship ended in 1979, 11 years before DNA evidence was used as an investigative tool. Rook told the jury that the combination of the DNA evidence and the similarities between the “nature and manner” of the offences, meant the jury must be “led to the sure conclusion it was one person” who committed all the crimes. In his four-hour summary, Rook said that if the jury found Grant guilty of one offence, they were obliged to find him guilty of all other counts. He said that a unanimous decision was required. The father of seven has denied a total of 29 offences, including three rapes, one of attempted rape, one sexual assault, six indecent assaults, 16 burglaries and two attempted burglaries. The nationwide manhunt for the night stalker cost £10m and lasted nearly two decades. A police inquiry has been launched into whether Grant could have been identified earlier. Officers fear there may have been earlier opportunities to identify him as a key suspect. None of the elderly victims appeared before the court. But the three-week case was distinguished by the harrowing and detailed statements from all the victims that were read out by prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw QC. The statements were taken by police who feared that many of Grant’s victims, based on the age of those attacked, their ill-health and the trauma of the attacks, might not be able to give evidence if he was ever caught. Some of the victims have died from natural causes in the years since they were attacked and assaulted. Crime Amelia Hill guardian.co.uk

Posted by on March 22, 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.