Rapist dragged young woman into Yorkshire woods while she was walking her dogs and attacked her before passing joggers saved her life

Brandon Woolven, 22, has now been jailed for 11 years for the horrendous attack near Dearne Valley Country Park on April 14 this year.

The victim, aged in her 20s, was walking her dogs in broad daylight when Woolven grabbed her off the path and dragged her into undergrowth.

She believes she would have died if two joggers, one of whom was also assaulted, had not pulled Woolven away from her.

Woolven, from Brighton, first saw the woman to Pontefract Road and forced her into a wooded area where he began physically and sexually assaulting her, before going on to rape her.

One of the joggers managed to restrain Woolven until police arrived.

Detective Constable Becky Robinson of South Yorkshire Police said: “I have been working as a police officer for 16 years now and in all my service have never been faced with an investigation quite as horrifying as this one.

“Woolven attacked his victim at random, in broad daylight, and subjected her to the most brutal and sustained physical and sexual abuse imaginable. She has since told us that she believes that without the intervention of the two passers-by, she would have been killed – such was the ferocity of Woolven’s assault.

“This was a truly terrifying incident and I want to wholeheartedly commend the victim in this case for her unerring support of the police investigation and for the immense bravery she has shown throughout.

“I also want to publicly recognise the bravery and heroism of the two members of the public who saw the attack and took action to protect the victim, in the process of which being injured themselves.

“Woolven is a truly dangerous individual and while he has pleaded guilty to the offences put before him, he has shown no remorse for his actions and I am pleased he has received a lengthy custodial sentence for his crimes.

“The victim in this case continues to recover from the physical and psychological injuries she suffered as a result of this attack and I hope that with the sentence passed today, she is able to take another step forward on her journey to recovery.”

Woolven pleaded guilty to rape, two counts of sexual assault and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm at an earlier hearing. At Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, he was sentenced to 11 and a half years in prison.

Woolven was also handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.