How top Peterborough police team trapped knife rapist

One woman was raped at knifepoint and another sexually assaulted on a footpath near Rhubarb Bridge in the autumn of 2017.

A boy - just 16 at the time of the offences, was eventually arrested and brought to justice. The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sectioned last year.

He was given a section 37 hospital order, to run indefinitely after jurors found he committed the rape and sexual assault.

DS Gordon Blair and DC Denise Brown received a Judge’s Commendation earlier this month after their investigation led to the successful conclusion of the case.

Speaking to the Peterborough Telegraph, DS Blair said there had been a number of challenges during the investigation.

He said: “From the start, when the second incident happened, we never put the blinkers on straight away and said it was linked, but it was part of the investigation straight away.

“It was a very serious situation, as we did not want the public thinking there was a serial rapist out there.

“We were able to get DNA, but in this case it did not come back to anyone on our records. All we had to go on was a description, and that is when a really complex investigation starts.

“You look through intelligence priorities, go through the International Crime Agency, run appeals and anniversary appeals, and because of the age of the suspect that had been described to us, we spoke to schools.

“We did make an arrest, but his DNA did not match.

“We were mindful that there could have been more victims. We engaged with the community, carried out high visibility patrols, worked with the council to get CCTV - we did not want the fear factor causing concern in the city.”

DS Blair said the age of the suspect made the investigation even more difficult. He said: “Youngsters are less traceable - there is no driving licence, they are less likely to have DNA on file, there are no financial records. All you really have are school and college records.

“There was a worry about social media - if the suspect had been filming the acts and posting them, it could escalate even more. That was our concern.

“We spoke to a number of schools and communities about the offence, asking them to identify anyone showing behaviour that stood out.

“We came up with a list, and went to 50 people, asking for a voluntary DNA sample. He (the culprit) was the last person we went to, and he consented to having a swab taken.”

At the start of the investigation DS Blair said DC Brown had done a lot of work to re-assure the two victims.

He said; “Both the women are Eastern European, and that meant we had to work to win over their trust even more than normal. Because of how things are in their culture, they don’t always believe the police will believe them or support them.

“The time Denise spent with them, working with them. They thought we would not believe them, but we did believe them, and we reassured them.”

The court proceedings provided a unique challenge during the case. The defendant, aged 17 when the case came to court, was deemed unfit to stand trial.

A fact finding hearing was held, with a jury being asked to make a decision as to whether the youth committed the offences or not. The teenager was not in court for the trial.

DS Blair said: “We presented the evidence as we normally would, and then it was down to the barristers and the 12 people in the jury.

“When you get a verdict through, it is very rarely a punch in the air moment.

“It is not about that, it is about the fact that he won’t be able to do this again, and people are safe. That is a good feeling.

“There was a huge team involved in the investigation, from patrols, door to door enquiries, scenes of crime officers, intelligence staff, analysts, and then in the Major Crime Unit there were about 20 officers.

“In total, there would be in excess of 100 people working on the case, so it is a real team game. Without any link in the chain, we would not have been able to get that result.

“Stranger rape cases like this are very rare, it is the first one I have done in my career.”