NEIL BLACKALL SENTENCED TO SIX YEARS FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT NEAR DEWSBURY STATION

In July 2006, Neil Blackall, a 23-year-old man from Chinewood Avenue, Batley, was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to raping a 13-year-old girl near Dewsbury Railway Station.

Blackall was labeled "every woman’s nightmare" by the judge during his sentencing at Leeds Crown Court. Additionally, he was ordered to register as a sex offender for life and was prohibited from working with children.

The court was told that on Saturday, March 11, Blackall targeted the virgin teenager while she was waiting at Dewsbury Bus Station following a day out in Leeds. The young girl left the bus station in fear but was followed by Blackall. He tracked her to a small skatepark located at the corner of Eightlands Road and Ashworth Road.

There, Blackall forcibly dragged the girl behind a high stone wall, attempted to choke her, then subjected her to rape and other sexual acts before fleeing the scene.

Judge Alistair McCallum remarked, "The girl was a total stranger to you and you picked her up at random and attacked her in a deserted place. It is the nightmare of every woman and the terrible nightmare of an innocent child to be attacked by a stranger – and a brutal attack at that." He described the crime as an "appalling offence" and revealed he almost sentenced Blackall for public protection, saying, "I seriously considered whether I should pass a sentence of imprisonment designed for public protection and I have come within a hair’s breadth of doing so."

Prosecution lawyer Katherine Robinson explained that the teenager had been in Leeds before returning to Dewsbury to meet friends, and subsequently went to the bus station. As she tried to meet another friend, Blackall began following her. Despite crossing the road multiple times to escape, she saw his shadow in the skatepark and quickened her pace.

Blackall then grabbed her by the throat, reassuring her, "I’m not going to hurt you," before dragging her to the ground. When she screamed, he hit her in the face, stripped her from the waist down, and raped her.

During a police interview, Blackall stated he couldn't explain why he followed the girl and was not thinking about raping her at the time. He expressed disgust for his actions afterward.

The incident prompted a police helicopter chase, leading to the arrest of a man at Leeds Railway Station, who was later released without charge. Blackall was caught on CCTV footage in the area, which led to his arrest.

The girl had alerted her friends to the attack, and while describing her attacker to police via mobile phone, a teenage boy overheard and ran to the train station to find him. The teen spotted a man matching the description and followed him onto a train intending to confront him but was thrown off by security before the train departed.

The boy then returned to the scene where police and paramedics had arrived, providing a description of the man to officers. A police helicopter tracked the train to Leeds Railway Station, where British Transport Police arrested Blackall. He was subsequently released without charge.

The location of the attack was previously used frequently by heroin addicts, bag thieves, and muggers, due to the high stone wall that provided hiding spots. This wall has since been demolished.