Police in tears as elderly told of horror attacks

Men and women aged up to 89 told how Delroy Grant broke into their homes, stole their valuables, pulled them from their beds and subjected them to horrifying sex attacks.

Grant’s convictions came as a relief for some of them, with one 83-year-old woman saying she would have her first peaceful night’s sleep in years.

But yesterday’s verdicts came too late for other Grant victims. Seven people who helped police build the case against him died before it came to trial.

The Metropolitan Police officer who led the investigation, Commander Simon Foy, said the trauma of the attacks would have “followed them to the grave”.

“That is a matter of tragedy that those poor souls have not lived to see the man who inflicted such horror on them being brought to justice,” Mr Foy said.

“Grant’s victims have suffered horribly as a result of their experience and what he did, because of the way he treated them, abused them and invaded their privacy. It is traumatic.

“They are also elderly and frail which again adds to the horror of what he did.”

One of Grant’s victims died only weeks after he raped her, but police had to drop plans to charge him with manslaughter after lawyers said it would be impossible to prove the two events were linked.

An 88-year-old woman told police: “I cannot emphasise enough the feelings of embarrassment and humiliation during the attack and subsequently.

“I feared for my life and believed I was going to be murdered.”

An 84-year-old woman said: “I don’t have nightmares now, but I make sure I take certain measures.

“I have to leave a light on, I make sure all the doors and windows are locked, even in the summer. I can’t sleep if they are open because I think he’ll be able to get back in.”

Another victim, who was 81 when she was attacked in Surrey in September 1998, said: “He (Grant) put his hand over my mouth. I thought I was going to suffocate. I was panic stricken.

“He took hold of either side of my jaw and held it tightly so I couldn’t cry out.”