Description
A convicted rapist with derogatory attitudes about females preyed on a lone woman and subjected her to a terrifying ordeal in her own home.
Ian Maclean forced his way into his victim's house after first establishing she was on her own before throttling her. The victim later said she thought the intruder was going to rape her, and she said he seemed to enjoy how scared she was. Swansea Crown Court heard Maclean has more than 120 previous offences on his record including assaults, burglaries, and a "particularly horrific" rape of a young woman who he dragged from her bed after breaking into her house.
Handing down an extended sentence, a judge told the 49-year-old he had no doubt he should be considered a dangerous offender, and he said it may be that Maclean had been motivated by his desire to regain dominance over women after a period in prison.
The court heard that on March 31 year last Maclean was acquitted of rape following a trial at Swansea Crown Court. Later that night he burgled a woman's flat and ransacked the property, helped himself to some of his victim's alcohol, and rearranged her underwear in a dresser drawer.
Then on the morning of April 5 he left his parent's house in Llanelli and caught a train to Swansea.
Helen Randall, prosecuting, said at around 2pm a woman working in her garden became away of being watched through the hedge - thinking it may have been a neighbour she called out but Maclean replied: "I'm not lurking, I'm looking for my father, Kevin". The court heard the woman told him he had the wrong address and Maclean tried to engage her in small talk before leaving.
Later that afternoon the woman was in her house when she became aware of a man standing outside her front door - through the glass she recognised him as the same male who had been watching her earlier. The court heard Maclean opened the door and walked into her house - the woman told him he couldn't come in but he pushed past her. The homeowner tried to force him back out but he pushed her aside.
The prosecutor said the frightened woman tried to remain calm and talk to the man in an attempt to get him to leave, and when he asked for a cigarette paper she suggested he could have a smoke and a cup of tea outside. Maclean replied: "I don't want a cup of tea. That's not what I want". The court heard the woman thought the intruder was going to try to rape her, and that "he appeared to enjoy the fact he was frightening her".
The woman was able to grab her phone and flee the property with Maclean in pursuit - he chased her though the garden before catching her by the garden gate and grabbing her around the throat. The woman called out to a neighbour for help and managed to poke her assailant in the eyes causing him to lose his balance. Maclean then "calmly walked away" and the police were alerted. The defendant was located a short distance away where he became "obstructive and abusive" towards officers and had to be restrained.
In his subsequent interview Maclean said he had purchased alcohol and had gone for a walk. He denied going into the woman's house or assaulting her, and said he had been the one who was scared by her shouting and running around. He said he had walked away before sitting in a chair in a nearby garden and falling asleep.
In a statement from the victim of the Llanelli burglary she said she had been left feeling unsafe in her own home, and now locks the bedroom door at night and sleeps in her clothes in case she has to flee.
In her statement the victim of the Swansea incident said she had felt "absolutely terrified" during the ordeal, and now suffers with anxiety, has trouble sleeping, and suffers flashback where she sees Maclean's face and smells the alcohol on his breath. She said she felt "violated" at having the intruder in her house, and the experience had totally changed the way she lived her life.
Ian David Maclean, of no fixed abode, had previously been found guilty of burglary at trial in regard to the Llanelli matter and had pleaded guilty to affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) in regard to the Swansea offending when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 44 previous convictions for 127 offences including an ABH on a partner who he kicked and punched in the face and a battery on a partner who he had throttled. He also has convictions for six burglaries of houses in Carmarthen, Llanelli and Neath, as well as for thefts and public order matters. In 1994 he was sentenced to eight years in prison and put on the sex offenders register for life after what the Parole Board described as "a particularly horrific rape" of a young woman - this had seen him braking into her house, dragging his victim from her bed, and raping her vaginally and anally while shouting: "I want you to suffer, b****. I hope you get f****** pregnant."
Lloyd Jenkins, for Maclean, said it was accepted the defendant had committed "appalling offences" which would have significant and long-term impacts on his victims. He said Maclean had told him that he struggled to cope in the community and feels he only has "stability, security and structure" in prison, and that as he approached the age of 50 he realises that "enough is enough" and he has to change.
Judge Huw Rees said hours after being acquitted of rape at Swansea Crown Court, Maclean had burgled a woman's flat in Llanelli and then, days later, travelled to Swansea where he had subjected another woman to a terrifying ordeal in her own home. He said having established that the woman lived alone he had forced his way into her home, and that in his view the defendant's intention had been "to harm that woman either physically or sexually or both".
He said reports into Maclean had identified he has extreme anger issues, derogatory attitudes towards women, a history of carrying out "revenge-type attacks on females", and has consistently failed to engage with probation, has moved around the UK frequently, and has repeatedly failed to comply with the requirements of the the sex offender register. The report had also identified Maclean has a history of targeting vulnerable woman for relationships, and also had a history of accessing student accommodation both in Wales and as far afield as Durham claiming to be campus security.
The judge said there were sinister aspects to the offending before the court, and it may have been motivated by Maclean's desire to "regain dominance" over women after spending months on remand awaiting his rape trial. The judge said he had no doubt the defendant should rightly be categorised as a dangerous offender in the meaning of the legislation.
Maclean was given an extended sentence of eight years and eight months comprising six years and eight months in prison followed by a two-year extended licence period. He must serve two-thirds of the custodial element of the sentence before he can apply for release but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be released.