A sex attacker told a trapped police officer that he would kill her before counting down to zero and charging towards her.
Daniel Jones had lured a woman to his home under the premise of helping his injured dog in Birkenhead in July last year.
He then subjected her to a horrific sexual assault and left her fearing he would kill her.
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Yet when police, who had been alerted to Jones acting strangely in the street earlier in the day, managed to track him to his door the 47-year-old also tried to trap one of the officers in his house.
When Jones opened the door to the officers they saw the woman, who began screaming for help.
He then grabbed the female police officer who had knocked on the door and dragged her into his living room.
The gym manager and boxing coach, who is just under 6 feet tall and of a muscular build, blocked the door of the room so her colleagues could not get in and then started shouting at her.
The court heard today that Jones was regularly using DMT, a psychedelic drug with similar effects to LSD, and body cam footage shown in court earlier this week showed Jones sweating and with dilated pupils.
The officer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, asked Jones to let her out of the room and tried to calm him but he became even more aggressive.
In one section of the video, Jones looked directly at the officer and said: "I'm going to kill you."
When she replied that she didn't believe he would, he said: "I'm going to kill you. Five, four, three, two, one."
He then ran towards her and lunged at her, ripping off her body cam and throwing it out the window.
Despite this, the officer managed to escape and help Jones' victim escape while her colleagues arrested him.
A judge praised her for the "exceptional bravery" she displayed during the case and said he was certain that her actions prevented an already horrific attack from being even worse.
Recorder Ian Unsworth, QC, said: "Were it not for her putting herself on the line for reasons that are manifestly clear, this already serious case could have been much more serious."
Recorder Unsworth called for the officer to be given a commendation for her actions.
Jones was sentenced to a total of 16 years in prison, with a further eight on extended licence, for his attacks on both the woman he lured into his home and the police officer.
Speaking after the sentencing, the officer said she believed Jones could have killed the woman he lured to his home if police had not arrived there in time.
She said: “Throughout my career and my life, I will never forget what happened…that day. I vividly remember being deployed to that job and at first not thinking much of it...However, when I attended the address I knew something was wrong and I am grateful to not only my own instincts but also my colleagues and our perseverance at knocking at the address.
“I still can’t believe what Daniel did to us that day. After reflecting on the incident, I feel one of his intentions for attacking us was because we are women.
“If we as the police had not intervened, it is my personal belief that Daniel would have killed his victim. If my colleagues had not come to my assistance as quick as they did I believe Daniel would have sexually assaulted and killed me.”
Assistant Chief Constable Ngaire Waine said the officer was a credit to the force.
ACC Waine said: “I would like to commend the incredible bravery shown by our officer who first arrived on scene at Borough Road. Her quick thinking and courage while faced with such violence is a credit to the Force and an example of the brilliant work our officers do, day in day out to keep our communities safe.
“The sentencing today shows that we at Merseyside Police won’t hesitate to act to make sure that men such as Jones, who feel it is acceptable to perpetrate such despicable violence against women, are put behind bars."
Anyone with information or wants to report a sexual offence is asked to call 101 where you will be spoken to by specially trained officers or you can pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Support for victims is also available through the registered charity the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre Cheshire and Merseyside, who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063 or Rape and Sexual Assault Merseyside (RASA) on 0151 558 1801. In an emergency, always call 999.
