A
knife-wielding rapist has finally been caged for an attack on a
teenager over thirty years ago after a DNA match.
Peter
Hall, 58, received twelve years imprisonment after pleading guilty at
Snaresbrook Crown Court.
Hall
carried out the attack in Beckenham on October 12, 1986.
The
19-year-old victim had just left a local cinema and was walking along
Worsley Bridge Road, after a night out when Hall grabbed her
from behind.
He
held a knife to her throat and forced her to walk to a secluded area
before raping her.
After
the attack, Hall left the scene and the young woman ran home to raise the
alarm.
An
investigation was launched by police but, despite extensive
enquiries, no suspect could be identified.
However,
clothing which contained DNA samples were recovered from the scene
and stored - this would prove crucial to conclusion of this case.
In
2004, Hall - then using the alias Carl Oates - was arrested in
connection with outstanding burglary offences at Stansted Airport.
As
part of that arrest his DNA was taken and uploaded to the National
DNA database.
A
routine cold case review of the rape case was undertaken in 2011.
Part
of this consisted of re-testing the DNA samples available, using
technology that had advanced over the course of time.
Scientists
established there was a match probability of 1 in 1 billion between
DNA from Hall in 2004 and the DNA from semen found at the scene of
the rape.
A
warrant was issued for Hall's arrest and in 2016 it emerged he had
been arrested in Belgium for theft offences.
A
European Arrest Warrant was issued and Hall was extradited back to
London in December 2018.
He
initially denied any involvement in the rape, but due to the weight
of evidence against him he ended up admitted to the offence at court.
Detective
Constable Bhulesh Pala from the Metropolitan Police's Child Abuse and
Sexual Offences Command said: "This
was a dreadful attack on a young woman simply making her way home
from the cinema.
"Hall
grabbed her from behind and forced at knifepoint into a grassy area
before subjecting her to a terrifying sexual assault.
"I
would like to pay tribute to the victim who was incredibly patient
and courageous throughout an investigation which spanned over thirty
years.
"I
hope today's sentencing gives her some measure of comfort and
closure.
"I
also hope this case gives other victims of rape and sexual offences
the confidence to report such crimes to the police.
“Although
this offence took place thirty-two years ago, this case demonstrates
that we are committed to bringing offenders to justice, irrespective
of how much time has passed since the crime was committed."
Hall
was also sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment, to be served
concurrently to the rape sentence, for three burglaries he carried
out in Doncaster in 2003.
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