NORFOLK MAN JAILED AFTER 35-YEAR-OLD BRISTOL RAPE COLD CASE SOLVED
A rapist who assaulted a cyclist in Bristol nearly 35 years ago has finally been brought to justice.Stephen McCafferty, from Thetford in Norfolk, was jailed for four years and eight months after he confessed to the horrific attack, which occurred in Totterdown in July 1981.
The victim, a 22-year-old woman, was riding her bike along Wells Road when she was grabbed by a drunken McCafferty and raped.
The police were unable to solve the case at the time, but breakthroughs in forensic science led to the cold case being reopened.
Advances in DNA analysis in 2007 linked forensic evidence from the scene of a 1999 burglary to the rape.
The investigation was further developed when detectives traced the DNA to McCafferty, who then voluntarily gave a DNA sample in December 2015.
Following this, McCafferty drove to Bristol, confessed the crime during an interview, and was subsequently jailed at Bristol Crown Court.
He was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.
The victim expressed her relief and trauma, stating: "Even after so many years the effects of what happened still remain but a conviction will be of some relief." Detectives emphasized that no matter how long ago a crime is committed, justice can still be served, warning all offenders that they may eventually be caught.
