2007: Bolton Town Centre Rapist Jailed

2007: BOLTON TOWN CENTRE RAPIST JAILED

2007: A 23-year-old man with a history of sexual offenses has been sentenced to indefinite imprisonment after raping a 17-year-old girl in a quiet doorway.

Homeless Wayne Pugh followed the teenager from a nightclub in Bolton and told her, "I've been watching you." His identity was confirmed after CCTV footage from the club was published in The Bolton News, leading a reader to inform police.

The court sentenced Pugh to an indeterminate term with a minimum of three years.

Detective Constable Jo Lally of Bolton Police’s Public Protection Investigation Unit described him as inherently dangerous and expressed relief that he is now behind bars, preventing him from targeting vulnerable young women.

The court heard that Pugh has previous convictions including indecent assault and harassment from 2000, when he received five months in youth custody for stalking a 16-year-old shop worker and assaulting her.

During the time of the recent attack, he was on probation following a suspended sentence for threatening to kill his mother issued the previous March.

Defense attorney Simon Newell stated that Pugh felt remorse and believed his guilty plea was the best expression of that remorse.

Judge Robert Brown highlighted that photographic evidence showed significant injuries on the girl and that her impact statement detailed ongoing emotional, physical, and relationship issues.

Pugh will remain on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

It was also noted that he was on bail for other alleged sex offenses from Fleetwood, though those charges have been left on file without further action.