Six years for ‘sick’ man, 19, in attack on pensioners

Sam Dexter, 19, had been to two parties and drunk a bottle of vodka on top of several pints as well as taking £100 of cocaine before he entered the couple’s Sheffield home at 6am.

He beat the 75-year-old husband 30 or 40 times to the face and then launched an assault on his 77-year-old wife, forcing her down and breaking her hip before he sexually assaulted her.

The woman later told police: “It was disgusting and unimaginable. I felt violated and dirty.”

When arrested a fortnight later, Dexter told police he could not remember anything about the incident.

Dexter, of Derwent Drive, Chapeltown, Sheffield, admitted burglary with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm, attempting to cause GHB with intent, inflicting GBH and assault by penetration.

Rachael Harrison, prosecuting, told Sheffield Crown Court that the man got up when an alarm went off at the couple’s home and he thought it was a drunk outside so he went to check if there was any damage.

When he returned he put the kettle on and began to watch television when Dexter burst in and pushed him over before striking him 30 or 40 times in the face.

The husband shouted to his wife to phone the police and Dexter then chillingly said: “Oh, you have got a wife.”

Dexter went to the bedroom where the woman, in a nightie and underwear, got out of bed and he pushed her in the chest, knocking her to the floor.

He put his hand on her mouth and twisted her face to one side with the victim feeling as if she was “being smothered”. Dexter knelt on her right leg and sexually assaulted her.

The husband came to his wife’s rescue and grabbed hold of Dexter as he started to punch his wife to the upper body before running off.

Ms Harrison said the husband was left with a bruised and bloody face and double vision and his wife was in hospital for 11 days and has been back twice since the attack on March 24 this year. Her injuries are likely to have long-term psychological effects.

Dexter was caught after his foot and hand prints were found at the scene.

In a victim impact statement, the husband said he felt guilty about asking his wife to call the police as Dexter immediately went on to assault her.

He said he was “disgusted” about the sexual interference which an “animal would not have carried out”. He went on: “Words cannot describe how sick I feel about this. He had complete disregard for me, my wife and our age.”

Of his wife he said: “She’s my life and I just want her to regain her health.”

His wife said she was a “fragile woman” who rarely went out and Dexter had caused her to fear for her security in her own home.

She said: “Only a sick individual would do this. We are just an ordinary elderly couple who try and live a decent life.”

Dominic Thomas, defending, said Dexter and his family expressed their “severe disgust and profound shame” at what happened.

He was an only child described as “helpful and hard-working” and he felt he had let his family down as “badly as it is possible to imagine”.

He did not remember the night but had admitted his guilt and was only in the house for under two minutes.

Judge Alan Goldsack gave Dexter an indeterminate sentence for public protection and he will have to serve at least six years.

The judge said “many” were sceptical about his assertion that he could not remember anything but “a psychiatrist does not rule out you may be telling the truth.”

He said: “Everyone, particularly the elderly, have a right to feel safe in their own homes.”