Description
Reece Wigglesworth, 16, also robbed a woman of her car at knifepoint
Out-of-control teenager Reece Wigglesworth sexually assaulted a 79-year-old Newcastle woman in her home.
The 16-year-old, who received a caution as an 11-year-old for sexually assaulting a child, was wearing a hoodie when he tried doors to of homes.
His victim thought it was her son so unlocked the chain and the defendant barged in her home and asked if she had any money. She said she did not and she could see him playing with his private parts. He pushed her against a worktop and sexually assaulted her.
The pensioner felt sore and screamed. He hit her across the head and told her to, 'shut the f*** up', before running off.
The defendant was arrested three days later after an appeal on StokeonTrent Live and in The Sentinel.
The incident happened seven months after Wigglesworth and an accomplice robbed a disabled woman of her car at knifepoint outside her Basford home. She was so distressed she moved house.
Now Wigglesworth has been sentenced to eight-and-a-half years detention at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.
StokeonTrentLive and The Sentinel successfully applied for reporting restrictions to be lifted with Judge Paul Glenn saying it was appropriate and in the interests of justice for the case to be reported.
Prosecutor Neil Ahuja said the first offence involved the defendant and another committing a car-jacking at 12.50am on February 18.
The 48-year-old victim pulled up outside her home in Clare Street, Basford, at 12.50am when the defendant and another approached her Vauxhall Corsa and demanded the keys.
Mr Ahuja said: "The second man produced a knife.
"The defendant took 50 pence from her purse.
"She felt petrified by the knife. The demand to give her keys was very aggressive the second time and she did hand them over. She felt the knife catch her hand.
"One got in the driver's seat and one in the passenger seat. It was driven off.
"The car was spotted by police in Trentham. Both men were chased and detained. The knife was in the defendant's pocket."
The victim has been left frightened and anxious by her ordeal. She is scared to go out at night. She is not eating or sleeping properly and has flashbacks. She has moved house because she did not feel safe.
The defendant was released under investigation.
He entered the pensioner's home in Newcastle at 7.30pm on October 9.
Mr Ahuja said: "He had tried to gain entry to the front door and went to the rear door.
"Mistakenly thinking it was her son she opened the door. He pushed his way in. He had his hood pulled tight around his face. He asked, 'Have you got money'? She replied, 'No, do I look like I have got any'?
"He pushed her against a kitchen worktop and grabbed her hard. He stopped because of a loud scream. He hit her over the head and shouted, 'Shut the f*** up', before running away."
In a victim statement the pensioner said she has suffered flashbacks and no longer feels safe in her own home. She has had extra security fitted. She added she will never forget what happened and it will always stay with her.
The defendant was identified by forensic evidence with his DNA found on the victim's clothes and the door handle at a neighbouring property.
Wigglesworth, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to robbery, possession of a knife in public, burglary and sexual assault.
Paul Cliff, mitigating, said the defendant wanted to offer his apologies to both victims. He said: "Any right minded person would be disgusted by his behaviour."
Mr Cliff said the defendant was aged 15 at the time of the robbery and his co-accused was five years older than him.
He added Wigglesworth is not driven by deviant sexual fantasies and asked for the judge to give credit for the guilty pleas and to take into account the teenager's age and totality.
Judge Glenn said the robbery victim described feeling petrified. He said: "You accept taking money, a small amount, from her purse. The police located the car, the two of you absconded and you were caught nearby. You were the one with the knife at that stage.
"It had a significant psychological effect. She was scared to go out at night and she had to move because she did not feel safe any more."
The judge described the sexual assault as 'an appalling case'. He said: "You burgled the home of a 79-year-old. You had been released under investigation in relation to the robbery.
"I am not sure that you realised it was an old person's home or I would treat that as an aggravating feature.
"She thought it was her son and unlocked the door. You pushed your way in. Your face was concealed by the hooded top you were wearing.
"She was terrified and thought she was going to be raped.
"You meet the criteria for a dangerous offender. The sexual assault and the robbery are so serious only significant custodial sentences are appropriate.
"You are a danger when at large in the community. Your offending is escalating in terms of gravity and frequency. You carry knives. You abuse alcohol and drugs. The circumstances of the present offences alone indicate you are out of control."
Wigglesworth was placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely and was barred from a range of activities involving children and vulnerable adults.