Carlisle man due in court after admitting raping a woman over 30 years ago
It happened on the Honeybourne Line in Cheltenham in April 1990
Last updated 17th Jan 2022
A man from Carlisle is due in court today (17th January) after pleading guilty to raping a woman in Cheltenham more than 30 years ago.
Paul Shakespeare, now 66 years old, was tracked down via DNA evidence in the summer of 2020.
He admitted attacking the 18-year-old whilst she was walking along the Honeybourne Line in April of 1990.
It became a cold-case until Gloucestershire Police restarted investigations back in 2007 and issued appeals for information.
The case then featured on an episode of Crimewatch back in 2008, but no one was charged at the time, despite a large number of calls following the appeal.
Shakespeare was eventually caught when a DNA sample, taken by police for an unrelated offence earlier this year, matched the profile of the attacker on the national database.
He's being sentenced at Bristol Crown Court later today.