Teenager jailed 16 years for brutal attack on elderly woman

A teenager named Lee-Joseph Dixon has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after he committed a brutal assault and rape on an elderly woman in her 90s in Cardiff. The incident occurred early in the morning when Dixon, aged 18, was wandering the streets after leaving a party. He forcibly entered the victim’s home after she opened her door around 4am, despite her pleas for him to leave her alone. The attack was so severe that the woman, who was 91 years old, was found shaking and clutching her telephone by police, and she required two weeks of hospitalization before being moved to a care home. She was unable to return to her residence, which she had inhabited since childhood. Her son expressed shock and distress, stating he was surprised his mother survived the attack and emphasizing the horrific nature of the crime. Dixon pleaded guilty to the charge of rape but claimed he had no memory of the event. The judge, Hale, sentenced him to 16 years of imprisonment and mandated that he will be on the sex offenders register for life. The case was described as one of the most distressing by DI Stuart Wells of South Wales Police, who highlighted the seriousness of the incident and its impact on the victim’s life. Senior prosecutor Kelly Huggins condemned Dixon’s actions as a brutal and abhorrent assault on a highly vulnerable elderly lady, noting the significant long-term harm caused to her and her family.