Rapist who snatched woman off street jailed for nine years

Attacker walked after her, hit her over the head and carried her off

A SCOTS lorry driver who snatched a woman off the street as she made her way home from a night out and raped her in the grounds of a rugby club has been jailed for nine years.

Steven Murdoch, 36, carried out his attack in Essex but police traced him to his home in Scotland after watching hours of CCTV footage to piece together the number plate of his car.

Murdoch confessed to the rape when police called at his house in Bailieknowe Road, Dumfries.

He had spotted his victim walk- ing down Crow Lane, Romford, Essex, in the early hours of September 20 this year.

The 30-year-old woman had got separated from her friends and was making her way back alone to an address where she was planning on staying.

Murdoch parked his car in the grounds of Romford Rugby Club and allowed her to pass before walking after her and hitting her over the back of the head.

He threw her over his shoulder and CCTV footage captured him running with her through the entrance of the club.

The terrified woman desperately tried to dial 999 while she was still in Murdoch’s grip, but realising what she was doing he put her down, punched her to the stomach and snatched her phone from her.

He forced her to perform a sex act on him before raping her repeatedly on a concrete ramp outside the club.

Richard Germain, prosecuting at Snaresbrook Crown Court., said: “After the rape had been completed the defendant said to the victim that he had done a terrible thing, and that the next time he would see her would be in court.

“Fearful of what he might do next she told him that she wouldn’t tell anyone and that he should go on his way and he could do anything just not kill her.

“He said he didn’t want to kill her just to please her – he then began to weep and he repeatedly said he was sorry.’

He handed back her phone and the woman turned and walked away –when she was sure he wasn’t following her she ran for her life and called for help.

Murdoch was tracked down after police matched fragments of the number plate of his Vauxhall Astra from different CCTV clips, which was registered at his address in Scotland.

He admitted two charges of rape and one count of assault by beating when he appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

Piers Mostyn, for Murdoch, said his client had recently separated from his partner of 10 years with whom he had two children and two step children, and had been living in his lorry for three weeks prior to the assault.

He said that he had been suffering chronic depression as a result of the break-up, and had no previous convictions for any kind of sexual or violent offence.

He said: “I would submit that he was someone in a state of personal turmoil at the time and he ended up in a very bad place doing something terrible.”

Sentencing Murdoch to nine years imprisonment, Judge Sheelagh Canavan said: ‘On 9 September this year your victim’s world was a normal one, she went out with her friends, she had a few drinks she was having a pleasant evening.

“It was a perfectly normal world and a perfectly normal life and you took that from her – whatever I do with you today I can’t give back what you took from her.

“Your actions have had the most devastating effect on your victim’s life, it’s affected every single aspect of it,” she said. “What you did was heinous, it was wicked, it was awful and your sentence in no way reflects the impact on your victim of what you did to her, I can only wish her well for the future.”

Murdoch stared at the floor throughout the sentencing. He was ordered to sign on to the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and barred from working with children and vulnerable adults for life.