DUKINFIELD SEX OFFENDER FACES POTENTIAL RE-IMPRISONMENT AFTER LEGAL BID TO INCREASE SENTENCE
A convicted sex offender, Mark Heeney, aged 21 from Hardy Gardens, Dukinfield, who was sentenced to two years in prison in February following his conviction for sexual assault, may face reincarceration after the country’s leading legal authority sought to extend his sentence at the last moment.Heeney had entered a woman’s residence in Ashton during the night by using an unlocked door.
The woman, who was in her 50s, noticed sounds from the stairs and confronted him outside her bedroom.
He pushed her onto the bed, but she fought back and scratched his face.
Police identified him through DNA evidence collected from under her fingernails.
During his arrest in October 2007, officers found a box of women’s underwear at his home.
Since he had already served a significant portion of his sentence while awaiting trial, he was scheduled to be released on licence the same week.
However, the Attorney General, Baroness Scotland QC, referred the matter to the Court of Appeal, claiming that his sentence was unduly lenient and should be increased.
The lawyers for both the Attorney General and Heeney appeared before the court, but the hearing was postponed because the judges—Lady Justice Hallett, Mr Justice Simon, and Mr Justice Blake—stated they lacked sufficient information to reach a decision.
This delay means Heeney will be released from prison, but with the possibility of returning if the Court of Appeal rules his original sentence was too short.
