Drunk who terrified mother in sex attack 
sent to jail

Aaron Halcrow claimed during his trial last month that he had gone into the woman’s Halifax home to “cadge” a cigarette, but a jury at Bradford Crown Court found him guilty of sexual assault and burglary.

During the incident in May the 28-year-old got into the woman’s home while she was asleep in her bed and went upstairs to wake her up.

The Recorder of Bradford Judge Roger Thomas QC said Halcrow climbed on top of the woman as she pulled the duvet up around her and “slavered” over her neck kissing her.

Although the assault went no further, the court heard yesterday that when Halcrow got off the woman he dropped his trousers exposing himself.

“Understandably she was terrified by what you did,” the judge told Halcrow.

As he left the property Halcrow stole some cigarettes. At the time Halcrow, of Gaukroger Lane, Halifax, was already subject to nine month prison sentence which had been suspended for two years in March 2013.

Judge Thomas said there were many aggravating features in the case including entering the woman’s home and the fact that it took place in the early hours.

He said there had also been “a nasty threat” made to the victim if she reported it to the police.

Halcrow was jailed for four-and-half years for sexual assault and burglary with an further six months added in respect of the suspended sentence.

Halcrow will now have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life.

His barrister Charlotte Eastwood accepted that there aggravating features to the case, but she submitted that the sexual assault was not the worst of its kind and it was not a prolonged or sustained offence.

She pointed out that Halcrow had not committed any sexual offences before and his only previous conviction for burglary was a non-dwelling when he was only 15 years old.