Man tried to rape woman days after release from jail

Craig Best grabbed the 23-year-old in the early hours of March 13 and dragged her behind a building where he forced her down on to gravel and told her he would "slit" her throat if she screamed.

She told him she was in pain from the gravel and he let her stand up but then pulled down her underwear and tried to have sex with her.

He smashed her mobile phone against a wall and then made her perform a sex act on him before again trying to rape her. Her ordeal only ended when two passers by heard her calls and Best walked off as though nothing had happened.

Best, 37, admitted attempted rape and causing his victim to engage in sexual activity.

At Leeds Crown Court yesterday he was ordered to serve a minimum of four years minus his time on remand.

Judge Sally Cahill QC said from his past and present offences she was satisfied he was dangerous and posed a substantial risk to others.

The aggravating features included his abduction of his victim to a secluded area and making her believe he had a knife, although none was in his possession, all within days of his release from prison.

Andrew Kershaw, prosecuting, said Best was released on licence from Everthorpe Jail, Hull, on March 1 from a four-year sentence for offences that included a knifepoint robbery at a supermarket. His past offences indicated excessive drinking and drug use.

By March 5 he was living at the Elm Bank Probation Hostel in

Cleckheaton.

He offered others staying there money to procure a woman for him and told one resident he would pay 300 if he could find a prostitute to stay with him all day.

On March 11 he got drunk in breach of hostel rules and was arrested by police for being drunk and disorderly, spending a night in the cells.

On March 12 he left the hostel around 9.50pm to go to a nearby pub where he saw his support worker, who noted he was upset and in tears. When she told him to return to the hostel or face prison he said he would hang himself before returning to jail.

Later he was seen on CCTV in Main Street and Northgate, Cleckheaton, approaching women before attacking his victim. He was arrested when he returned to the hostel.

John Nixon for Best said he wanted to express his remorse to the

victim.

He had clearly been in a state of some distress in the public house earlier that evening while drinking and did not remember the events but accepted the account.