Hammer attack rapist jailed for 12 years

Mark Laird smashed his victim over the head with a hammer and knocked her out shortly after being allowed into her Wolverhampton home, the city's crown court heard.

Miss Alison Scott-Jones, prosecuting, explained: "He hit her hard and she blacked out. When she came to she found he had his hands round her neck.

"She was dragged in to the kitchen where she thought he was going to strangle her."

The 41-year-old attacker then raped the victim three times in various rooms throughout the property repeatedly threatening to kill the horrified woman, the court was told. The woman crept away from him after he finally fell asleep at almost 4am.

She sent a text message to a relative that read: 'Please come and get me. Don't phone. Don't want to talk. Please come quick.'

The relative arrived and she slipped out of the house without waking the attacker, continued Miss Scott-Jones. Police were called and officers found Laird still asleep .

Mr Kevin Grego, defending, said: "Laird had taken a potentially lethal cocktail of class A drugs and high level alcoholic drink. He has little recollection of the matter but is not prepared to challenge the version given by the complainant.

Laird of no fixed address admitted three rapes and two sexual assaults on the woman and was jailed for12 years with an extended eight year licence period on release by Judge Martin Walsh who said: "This was a truly horrific offence."