ORFORD MAN JAILED FOR ATTEMPTING TO RAPE WOMAN WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES
A PERVERT who attempted to rape a woman with learning disabilities in a late night town centre attack has been jailed.Phillip Forsyth, of Cleveland Road, in Orford, was sentenced to four years at Warrington Crown Court on Friday.
The court heard that 23-year-old Forsyth had first met his 21-year-old victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, while working as a barman in the town centre.
On the day of the attack on August 16, Forsyth, who is adopted and also goes by his family name of Farell-Roberts, had bumped into the woman, who he knew by sight, in town.
They had swapped mobile numbers and agreed to meet at a bar after he finished work that night.
Peter Hussey, prosecuting, said: “She suffers from minor learning difficulties and this affects her by being more trusting.
“They met after 2am and had a drink and a dance.
She said she began to feel uncomfortable with the defendant’s close attention to her on the dance floor.
He was starting to put his hands on her and she did not want that.” After a short while, the victim said she wanted to go home and as Forsyth accompanied her to get a taxi, the dangerous attacker pounced, punching her several times to the face when she refused his amorous intentions.
The frightened woman was then dragged along the floor by her hair to a secluded area behind Lloyds TSB bank.
The pervert pulled his victim up the steps behind the bank with such force that clumps of hair were wrenched from her head.
Mr Hussey added: “Her head was banged on the steps so hard that she felt sick and dizzy.
Forsyth then dropped his trousers and asked her to perform a sex act on him, telling her ‘to be a good girl’.
“To her great fortune a taxi driver, Trevor Leyland, heard her screams.
He shouted and the defendant pulled up his trousers and ran away.” The court heard the woman suffered injuries to her back and elbows during the ordeal, which has left her with trouble sleeping and frightened to go out.
Michael Davies, defending, said: “Forsyth is highly motivated to address his offending.
He said he is full of horror at what he has done.
“He has no previous convictions of a sexual or violent nature.
He has heart tremors and his condition is deteriorating.” Jailing Forsyth, the Recorder of Chester, Elgan Edwards, told him repetition of a sexual offence would see him caged indeterminably.
He was handed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, which is similar to an ASBO, and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register.
Elgan Edwards also awarded Mr Leyland a crown court commendation, saying: “I am very impressed by his decent and proper actions.
It could have been so much worse had he not intervened.”
