A 17-year-old boy has been convicted of attempting to murder a woman he raped and bludgeoned with a paving slab.
The teenager left the woman with horrific head injuries at Leicester’s Victoria Park after dragging her into undergrowth, where she was found by a passing cyclist almost an hour later.
At Leicester Crown Court, the boy admitted causing grievous bodily harm, two counts of rape, and stealing the victim’s handbag, but denied attempting to murder her on the night of July 3.
But today, the attacker was convicted of the most serious charge of attempted murder. In a highly unusual step, the judge ruled that he can be named as Charlie John Pearce.
CCTV footage shows Pearce, in a grey top and black trousers, running with a paving slab under his arm just moments he struck.
This clip, which was released to the media, led to Pearce’s parents giving his name to the police.
Video from a resident’s home security camera shows him hiding from police behind a car in the driveway, shortly after the attack.
CCTV footage shows Pearce, in a grey top and black trousers, running with a paving slab under his arm just moments he struck
Pictured is Charlie John Pearce, 17, holding a paving slab under his arm which he beat his victim with
Video from a resident’s home security camera shows him hiding from police behind a car in the driveway, shortly after the attack
At the start of trial, prosecutor Gordon Aspden said Pearce was caught on CCTV as he tracked the victim carrying a slab or stone – before again being filmed by a security camera as he fled (pictured)
Jurors took just over three hours to convict the youth after hearing how he had searched for internet videos depicting the rape of ‘helpless’ women in the weeks leading up to the attack.
While claiming through lawyers that he struck the victim to render her unconscious rather then kill, Pearce refused to go into the witness box during his defence case.
At the start of trial, prosecutor Gordon Aspden said Pearce was caught on CCTV as he tracked the victim carrying a slab or stone – before again being filmed by a security camera as he fled.
Footage filmed from a property nearby showed the teenager calmly stepping into a driveway to avoid a police patrol answering a 999 call from witnesses who heard ‘thudding’ noises as the woman was attacked at about 11.35pm on July 3.
The court heard that Pearce, who will be 18 in seven months’ time, ‘came within a hair’s breadth’ of killing the victim, who he dragged into undergrowth.
The woman was taken to hospital for life-saving treatment after being found by a female passer-by around an hour later.
In her testimony to the jury, the witness said she found the victim – who had ‘truly dreadful’ head wounds – after hearing movement in the bushes near a ‘bright’ patch of blood.
The defendant, who had been drinking in a pub, was linked to the attack by ‘one-in-a-billion’ DNA matches after his parents contacted the police following a media appeal.
In a statement read to the court by Mr Aspden, the victim said she could remember nothing of the attack.
‘I have no recollection of being assaulted or sexually assaulted, nor can I remember who the person was that did that to me,’ the woman said.
The teenager left the woman with horrific head injuries at Leicester’s Victoria Park after dragging her into undergrowth, where she was found by a passing cyclist almost an hour later
The youth, who cannot be named because of his age, was on trial at Leicester Crown Court
In his closing speech to the jury, Mr Aspden said the attack was an attempt to ‘silence’ the victim.
The prosecutor told the jury: ‘An attack of this type was clearly something that had been festering at the back of his mind in the weeks and days leading up to its commission.
‘The ugly truth here is that this dangerous young man, for his own selfish reasons, chose to carry out an attack of quite desolating wickedness on a complete stranger and his intention was to rape and kill her.
‘He must have believed that she was very, very seriously injured, if not dying. She lay there for the best part of an hour, exposed, badly injured and abandoned. That speaks volumes about his mindset and selfishness.’
Adjourning sentence on Pearce until a later date, Mr Justice Haddon-Cave said: ‘You have been found guilty of attempted murder by the jury on overwhelming evidence.
‘I am going to adjourn sentence on you in order to obtain reports – it would be in your interests to co-operate with the preparation of those reports.
‘In view of the gravity of your crimes, you can expect a lengthy sentence.’