Portsmouth man jailed after falsely imprisoning woman in his home
The 67-year-old will spend more than ten and a half years behind bars
A man who tied up and threatened a woman at his home in Portsmouth has been jailed for ten years and eight months.
67-year-old Philip John Andrew admitted to false imprisonment with intent to commit a sexual offence in connection with the incident in Eastern Road on April 26th last year.
Police were called to the address at shortly before midnight, following reports a woman in her 30s had been threatened after going to Andrew's home.
Officers heard that Andrew had then broken the SIM card in the victim’s phone in order to prevent her from calling the police.
She eventually persuaded him to let her leave and she was able to then call for help.
Hampshire Police said the woman was not seriously injured during the incident.
Police arrested Andrew in the early hours of the following morning.
He pleaded guilty in March and, appearing at Portsmouth Crown Court on Monday (May 15th), Andrew was sentenced to a total of ten years and eight months in prison.
Detective Constable Laura Hardie, of Hampshire Constabulary’s Criminal Investigation Department, who led the investigation, said:
"The actions of Andrew that night are deeply concerning and he violated the trust of his victim in one of the worst possible ways.
"We are pleased that in the face of the evidence against him he has chosen to plead guilty saving the victim from the further trauma of a trial.
"We are also glad that he will now face a considerable amount of time in prison for what he has done and hope that this result go some way to helping the victim move forward with her life.
"I would like to commend the bravery of the woman involved in this case and thank her for the courage she has shown throughout this investigation, without which we would not have secured this outcome.
"I hope this result encourages anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence to come forward and speak to us. You will be listened to and you will be supported."