2007: WOMAN’S ATTACKER JAILED FOR SIX YEARS
2007: A 43-year-old man who was responsible for a brutal daytime assault on a woman in Bolton has been sentenced to six years in prison.Paul Jackson was identified eight years after the incident through DNA evidence that linked him to samples recovered at the crime scene.
The incident occurred when the victim was walking through Alexandra Park, Wigan, on December 10, 1998.
Jackson, who was nearby and parked in a van, emerged and approached her from behind.
He gripped her firmly by the left arm and said, "I have something for Christmas for you," before forcing her into an alley.
There, with his left hand, he pressed her against a garage while revealing her upper body and then assaulted her by touching under her skirt.
Jackson, from Greenacres Court, Braddock Close, Rochdale, was linked to the attack when his DNA was found on her clothing and matched to a sample taken from him during an August arrest related to a suspected drugs offence.
He was detained again in October, initially denying involvement but later claiming that his victim, who uses a stick because of arthritis and back pain, willingly participated.
He was convicted of indecent assault by a jury.
Judge Brian Lewis told him, "You selected a woman at random in broad daylight and committed grave sexual offences.
This was as serious as violent indecent assault can be, and you have shown no remorse." Defense attorney Adam Roxburgh highlighted that while Jackson had previous convictions, none pertained to sex crimes, and he had no history of imprisonment.
He expressed concern about Jackson’s ability to cope with prison life and noted he had already been subject to abuse by inmates because of his offences.
