26/08/2010

Man Jailed For 1989 Rape

A lorry driver has been jailed for six-and-a-half years for the rape of a woman in Burnley more than twenty years ago.

Leslie Marshall, 51, of Stonefield Road, Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, pleaded guilty to the rape of the 22-year-old woman in 1989.

The father-of-five was caught after his DNA was taken following an arrest for a minor driving offence last July.

Marshall had been detained for tampering with his tachograph, which tracks a lorry's movements. The DNA was then found to be a match in the rape case.

The woman had been attacked on January 18, 1989, as she walked home from a friend's house. She was driven to to a secluded area before Marshall and an unknown man sexually assaulted her.

Marshall was jailed for six-and-a-half years Preston Crown Court and was ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Detective Constable Lisa Baxter from Lancashire Police said: "This case should send a clear warning to offenders: despite the passage of time we never give up hope of bringing offenders to justice - we constantly review older cases and we will catch up with you and you will be brought before the courts for punishment."

(KMcA/GK)

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