ALEC HOUSDEN FROM DUNSTABLE TO BE SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULTS IN HARPENDEN

In September 2023, Alec Housden, a 60-year-old man residing in Kingsbury Gardens, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, is set to face a court hearing following his guilty plea to serious criminal charges involving the kidnapping and sexual assault of two teenage girls in Harpenden over two decades ago. The case has garnered significant attention due to the lengthy period since the offenses occurred and the severity of the crimes.

Housden admitted to the charges, which include kidnapping and sexual assault, committed in 2002 in Harpenden. Despite his guilty plea, he was found not guilty of another kidnapping incident that took place in 2004. The proceedings took place at St Albans Crown Court, where Judge Michael Roques ordered that Housden be remanded into custody until his sentencing, scheduled for 18 December.

The court heard detailed accounts of the assaults. The first incident involved a 16-year-old girl who was walking home from school on Sunday, April 7, 2002. According to the jury, Housden approached her from behind, forcibly seized her, and dragged her into a wooded area near Piggottshill Lane in Harpenden. There, he subjected her to a sexual assault. The victim was later discovered by a jogger, who helped her to a nearby house, and the police were promptly called to investigate the incident. Forensic evidence, including a DNA swab taken from her bra, linked Housden to the crime scene.

Less than three months later, on June 19, 2002, at the same location, Housden was accused of attacking a 17-year-old girl. The court heard that he forcibly took her into his car, placing her in the passenger seat, and then drove her to another wooded area where he again committed a sexual assault. These incidents highlighted a pattern of predatory behavior by Housden during that period.

During the court proceedings, the defense requested a psychiatric evaluation of Housden to better understand his mental state. The judge also ordered a report to assess the potential danger Housden might pose to the public. Addressing Housden directly, Judge Roques stated, “You face a custodial sentence of some significant length,” emphasizing the gravity of the crimes and the likely length of his imprisonment upon sentencing. The case continues to develop as the court prepares for the upcoming sentencing hearing, which will determine the length of Housden’s incarceration for his crimes in Harpenden.