Charlie Pearce 23

Description

A violent teenage rapist who "hunted" his victim in a park and hit her over the head with a paving slab on his 17th birthday has been jailed for life.

Charlie Pearce researched rape online before carrying out his attack "of animalistic savagery", in July last year, in Leicester's Victoria Park.

He denied intending to kill the woman, who is in her 20s, but admitted two counts of rape, causing grievous bodily harm with intent and stealing her handbag.

However, jurors found the "exceptionally dangerous" defendant guilty of attempted murder after he left the victim "hanging by a thread".

Pearce, of Clarendon Park, Leicester, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 11 years at the Old Bailey in London.

He was handed seven-and-a-half years' custody for the rapes to run concurrently alongside his life sentence, with no separate penalty for the remaining charges.

Sentencing the teenager, Mr Justice Haddon-Cave said the defendant had carried out an attack of a sexual or sadistic nature and that he "intended to silence the victim forever".

"The defendant set out that evening to mark his 17th birthday to find a woman to attack and violently rape," he said.

"He can be seen on CCTV circling the park and hunting (the victim) down as she walked through the park. The attack itself was of animistic savagery. The offending was exceptionally serious."

Pearce dragged the victim into undergrowth before hitting her over the head, the court heard.

Police had been alerted after the start of his attack was witnessed by others in the park.

However, the court was told officers were unable to find anything because of a lack of a precise location being reported.

A passing cyclist spotted a pool of blood and a hair clip on the ground about an hour later and went into bushes and comforted the victim until paramedics arrived.

The follow day, police issued a CCTV image of Pearce running towards the victim holding the slab. His family recognised him and informed officers.

The victim awoke from a coma in the following weeks with no recollection of what had happened.

"I do not remember screaming when I was assaulted, though I am aware that screams were reported to the police by various people that night," she said in an emotional statement.

"My screams did not stop my attacker from causing me further harm and nor did they help me be found so I could receive medical care I needed.

"Knowing that my screams did not change anything for me that night continues to trouble me."

Phillip Bradley QC, defending, said Pearce accepted he was "entirely responsible" for the violence.