Rapist caught after shoe print find

A bar manager who climbed through a woman’s window and subjected her to a terrifying sexual assault in her own bed was caught after a distinctive Fred Perry shoe print was found at the scene, police said.

The discovery of a mark from the high-end brand trainer enabled police to link the disturbing attack to Andrew Check while they were carrying out house-to-house inquiries in Tenby, Pembrokeshire.

Swansea Crown Court heard how the 30-year-old pornography addict climbed through a window and assaulted his victim while holding a knife to her throat.

The court heard the woman told Check she would not be able to identify him and even offered him a lift home in an attempt to defuse the situation. Eventually he left, telling her to call the police, which she did.

Dyfed-powys Police analysed the shoe print found by crime scene investigators using scanning equipment and a national database containing almost 38,000 images of footwear prints.

Officers took the analysis work on board and spotted a pair of Fred Perry trainers matching the description at Check’s home.

Check, of Greenhill Avenue, Tenby, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by penetration at an earlier hearing.

Judge Keith Thomas said he posed a risk of committing further serious offences and jailed him for ten years.