A woman who was forced into a house by a predator and held down on a bed was horrified as she saw him walking the streets of the city centre before he was found guilty of his vile attack.
In 2018, at just 17 years old, the woman was attacked by John Stanley after a night out in Liverpool city centre. After coercing her to get in his car, Stanley later drove her to a house, dragged her inside and pinned her down with his hands around her neck.
She later managed to escape after hitting him across the head and running out of the home and finding a woman on the street who helped her get away. The woman later told police about the incident and Stanley was eventually located but he denied the offences and his trial only took place earlier this year, with a jury finding him guilty.
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He was jailed for 11 years by Judge Brian Cummings, QC, at Liverpool Crown Court earlier this week. Stanley had no previous convictions and was bailed prior to his trial after telling police and prosecutors he had never met his victim and that it was a case of mistaken identity.
He was charged with false imprisonment rather than any sexual offences but a judge at Liverpool Crown Court told him there was no doubt there were “sexual motivations” behind his crime. In a summary of her victim impact statement, read out in court by Arthur Gibson, prosecuting, the woman described how she once saw Stanley in the street months after his attack on her.
She said: “I have actually seen him since in the city centre. He did not see me and I left straight away. This was a massive setback for me and my recovery.” Mr Gibson said the woman continued to struggle to deal with the fallout of the attack and that it turned her from an outgoing and energetic person into someone who was fearful.
For a long time she suffered with insomnia and trust issues, particularly towards men. She also said she struggled to go out in the city centre at night for a long period after the attack
However, speaking after the trial, said the guilty verdict returned by jurors at Liverpool Crown Court earlier this year had helped her move on from the incident safe in the knowledge that Stanley would be punished for his actions and spend a lengthy period behind bars.
