Gloucester man jailed for rape of elderly woman

A 32-year-old man has been jailed after he broke into a woman's home in Gloucester and raped her in her own bed.

Brady Hickman was sentenced to 15 years at Gloucester Crown Court today, Wednesday 23 March, after he previously pleaded guilty to the crimes which took place on 11 November last year.

He must serve a minimum of 10 years in prison, and the remainder of his sentence on licence and he was deemed to be dangerous.

The court heard in a statement from the victim how she worries "she is scarred for life" following Hickman's attack and that the incident was "by far the most traumatic experience" she has experienced in her whole life.

Her statement also said she feels "totally violated and stripped of her dignity" from the incident, and explained her mental anguish where she feels anxious and scared in her own home now and suffers with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The statement said: "I've been suffering panic attacks since it all happened, causing me to have a constant headache, and even dizzy spells, and part of the panic attacks cause me to have heart palpitations.

"I am having flashbacks where I can still see him, vividly, and this is happening both during the day and at night - and can be really terrifying."

The woman, aged in her 70s, had used her Lifeline personal alarm to call for help after Hickman had broken into her home through a window and assaulted her in bed. He then fled from the scene.

Hickman, of Philip Street, Gloucester was arrested two days later in Nailsworth after a wanted appeal was issued for him. He was recognised by a member of the public who then contacted police.

He was subsequently charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault by penetration and admitted to all three of these offences at a hearing at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court on 15 November last year.

During the sentence hearing today Judge Michael Cullum said the victim had shown "dignity, remarkable courage and resilience".

Regarding Hickman, he said that he posed "significant risk of causing future harm" and that he "presented unimpressively" due to his history of offending.

Hickman was placed on the sex offenders' register for life and made subject of a restraining order banning him from contacting the victim directly or indirectly.

Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Detective Sergeant Faye Satchwell-Bennett said: "The victim has shown amazing strength and courage and has asked us to say thank you to our officers and the community for the support she has received and for helping her to feel safe again.

"Hickman committed a horrifying sexual attack on a vulnerable victim and is clearly a threat to women. I am pleased to see justice has been served at court today and that he will not have access to the general public for a very long time.

"I wish to thank the victim for her bravery, the public for their support and responses to our press appeals and to all of the teams across Gloucestershire Constabulary for their diligence and assisting in the early identification and apprehension of this man to ensure no further victims ever came to harm."

Gemma Kneebone, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS South West, said: "We welcome the sentence of Hickman for the rape and sexual assault of an elderly woman whose home he had broken into.

"We would like to recognise the bravery of the victim in coming forward and providing detailed evidence of what happened to her and the lasting impacts it has had.

"Specialist teams in the CPS and Gloucestershire Constabulary cooperated from an early stage of the investigation to build a strong case that resulted in a guilty verdict and the significant custodial sentence imposed today.

"The police and CPS are determined to deliver justice for the victims of rape and we actively encourage victims to come forward and report offences so they can be investigated by our combined specialist resources."