2009: RAPIST JAILED AFTER ATTACK ON TEENAGER
A gay man identified as Andries Daniel Els, described by a court as having been intoxicated with both alcohol and cocaine, committed sexual assault on a teenage girl.The court was told Els had spent the evening boasting to friends about plans to have sex with the 19-year-old.
After leaving the nightclub where they had been drinking, he reportedly pulled her into nearby woodland.
CCTV footage presented in Liverpool Crown Court showed Els, originally from South Africa, with his arm around the victim’s neck as he forcibly took her into the woods in Tyldesley following their departure from the Starlight Club on Lime Street.
The young woman, distressed and barefoot, managed to get away after the assault, around 6 am, and sought help at a nearby residence, tearful and shaking, requesting police assistance.
She could not recall the precise manner of her escape but remembered fleeing the scene.
During the attack, it was noted that some of her hair extensions had been pulled out, according to prosecutor Daniel Travers.
Els, who was 19 at the time, was apprehended three weeks later on September 18, 2008.
He denied the allegations but acknowledged that he had consumed a large amount of alcohol and taken cocaine that evening, claiming he blacked out for half an hour.
His defense lawyer, Michael Morley, highlighted that Els had been in a same-sex relationship for five years and had undergone a civil partnership with his partner a year prior.
Morley expressed surprise that Els was in court, explaining, “His friends and relatives must be incredulous that he is facing these charges.” He added that the case demonstrated how excessive drinking and drug use could lead to altered behavior.
Els, of Shuttle Street in Tyldesley, with no previous criminal record, pleaded guilty to rape and was sentenced to five years and four months in prison.
Judge Adrian Lyon described the attack as “appalling,” noting Els's actions in dragging the victim into woods with the intent to have sex.
The court also ordered Els to register as a sex offender for life.
After sentencing, Detective Constable Jackie Hulme from Greater Manchester Police commented that Els exploited the victim’s intoxication to overpower her, describing him as an opportunist and bully.
She expressed hope that his imprisonment would bring some relief to the victim.
