Man sentenced for horror attack on stranger in Bromley
18/05/2012
A man who held a female stranger hostage in his Bromley home and subjected her to a series of sexual assaults has been sentenced to eight life sentences at Woolwich Crown Court.
47 year old Donald Andrews admitted the charges he faced when he appeared at an earlier court hearing and on Friday he was sentenced as follows:
Rape - life imprisonment
Rape - life imprisonment
Rape - life imprisonment
Rape - life imprisonment
Rape - life imprisonment
Rape - life imprisonment
Kidnapping - life imprisonment
Causing grievous bodily harm with intent - life imprisonment
False imprisonment - five years imprisonment (concurrent to life)
Assault occasioning actual bodily harm - five years imprisonment (concurrent to life)
CPS London lawyer Anthony Salmon said:
"We believe this is one of the strongest sentences ever given to a defendant for crimes committed against just one person. The strength of the sentence clearly reflects the defendants criminality.
"The terrifying ordeal which Donald Andrews subjected the victim to reads like something from a horror film. He posed as a good Samaritan offering to allow her the use of his home telephone after she found herself stranded after a night out.
"However, once inside the house he trapped her, subjecting her to a series of vicious physical and sexual assaults. After 24 hours he told the victim he would free her but instead walked her to a secluded area and attempted to kill her by pushing her off a bridge and into a river.
"The victim suffered a series of injuries including a broken pelvis. She was thankfully spared having to re-live her ordeal in court as faced with the strength of the evidence Donald Andrews admitted his guilt.
"I hope that the sentence passed today will offer the victim some comfort as she recovers from this appalling incident."
The incident began on the morning of Sunday 18 September 2011. The 29 year old female victim had been enjoying a night out at a pub in Bromley when she became separated from her partner and found herself unable to get home due to not having money or a phone with her.
The defendant approached the victim outside the pub and offered her the use of his home telephone to call a cab. Although they had both been in the pub throughout the night neither had contact with each other and the victim was unknown to the defendant. At this time Andrews seemed like someone who was able to help and the victim feared she was not safe to simply remain outside the pub with no way to get home.
As soon as they arrived at his home his demeanour changed he locked the doors and told the victim she would not be going home. He then subjected her to a series of serious sexual assaults for which he was charged with six counts of rape. He also beat her throughout for which he was charged with one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. For holding her hostage he was charged with one count of kidnapping and one count of false imprisonment.
Over 24 hours after the ordeal began Andrews told the victim he would let her leave. First he made her have a bath in order to wash away any DNA evidence. He then led her outside and said he would lead her to the train station. The victim feared that he had a weapon and so remained with him believing that the ordeal was soon to be over.
However, Andrews led the victim to a secluded area and told her that he was going to kill her. He then lifted her by the ankles and threw her over a bridge into the stream below. The fall caused the victim to break her pelvis.
A short time later the victim was able to make her way out of the stream and towards a housing area where she raised the alarm about what had happened to her.
