Peterborough man who sexually assaulted pensioner jailed after being caught by an off duty police officer while on a jog in Ferry Meadows

Dwayne Fyffe, 30, was suspected of carrying out a sexual assault on a woman in her 70s near to Thorpe Wood Police Station on 8 October last year (2019).

An appeal to identify the offender from the distinctive description given by the victim was published in a bid to catch the man responsible for the horrific ordeal the woman encountered.

MORE: Sexual assault suspect arrested after pensioner attacked near Peterborough police stationTwo days after the attack, an off-duty detective was jogging around Ferry Meadows Country Park when he came across a man matching the description in the public appeal.

He contacted his colleagues, but in the meantime, the man now known to be Fyffe, approached the officer asking for directions to the town centre.

The officer directed him to the visitor centre where, unbeknown to Fyffe, police were waiting to make an arrest.

DC Vicky Speirs said: “At about 4.45pm on the afternoon of 8 October, Fyffe committed a horrendous attack on his 72-year-old victim who was out walking in the area of Bluebell Woods.

“She had taken some time out to get some fresh air due to some difficult circumstances in her personal life, and to have her world turned upside down at the hands of such a predator is something no one should ever have to experience.”

The victim was stopped by Fyffe, who was on a bicycle, claiming he needed to see something before he grabbed her by her throat and knocked her to the ground. She was dragged by her leg up a bank, before Fyffe sexually assaulted her.

Fyffe, previously of Baldwin Drive in Woodston, was released from prison on a life licence in May 2018 after serving time for an offence he committed when he was just 17-years-old. As a result of his arrest, he was recalled to prison where he has remained ever since.

Despite Fyffe answering “no comment” to all questions put to him in interview, swabs taken from his victim had Fyffe’s DNA on them, resulting in him being charged with sexual assault on a female.

Today (Wednesday 4 November), Fyffe appeared at Peterborough Crown Court after pleading guilty to the offence in September.

He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison, with an additional five years added because of the level of dangerousness. When sentencing, Judge Farrell described him as a ‘dangerous individual who preyed on vulnerable women’.

DC Speirs added: “Fyffe is a predator who has a previous conviction for a vicious robbery where he attacked a lone woman and cut her throat with a knife back in 2007.

“Although Fyffe has been handed almost 10 years in prison today, because of his previous conviction and being on a life licence, he will not be released from prison until a parole board deems him to no longer be a threat to our communities.

“I would like to commend the victim who has shown great bravery throughout the whole investigation, she has stood by us every step of this investigation in order to catch a violent offender who is now back behind bars.”