Preston man arrested over 1985 rape

10:01am Wednesday 26th November 2008

A Preston man was last night arrested over a rape in an Oxford street 23 years ago.

The 42-year-old was taken into custody at a police station in the city after detectives in Thames Valley Police’s major crime review team made what they called a “significant forensic breakthrough” in the case.

A woman, who is now in her mid-50s, was attacked and told she would be killed if she shouted out as she walked along West Street, in Osney Island, in January 1985.

The man, who has not been identified but is from Preston, was last night being brought to a Thames Valley police station.

He will be interviewed by detectives today.

It is the first arrest in connection with the case since charges against a 17-year-old were dropped, two months after the attack.

Thames Valley Police’s major crime review team is investigating all unsolved murders and about 300 sex attacks in the county from the past 40 years.

The victim was grabbed from behind and held in an armlock by a man in West Street at about 10pm on January 15, 1985.

He told her: “Shout and I’ll kill you”, before raping her. He tied a scarf over her eyes so she could not identify him.

The 17-year-old youth was arrested within days and was charged, because of what he knew about what had happened to the woman.

When the teenager appeared at Oxford Magistrates’ Court, prosecutor John Ellis said: “He was interviewed and appeared to know a great deal about what had gone on and he made admissions about what had occurred.”

But forensic analysis then proved that the teenager did not carry out the attack.

Mr Ellis told magistrates at the time: “It now seems to the police that there was a second person there at the time the rape took place.

“But there is not one piece of evidence that the prosecution can bring forward to substantiate it.

“It is speculation, based on what is known of the circumstances.”

Last night, Det Supt Barry Halliday, head of the major crime review team, would not be drawn over the nature of the new evidence.

He said: “This case would have been considered in the past for reinvestigation, but now we have our major crime review team and we apply a consistent approach and examine each case on its merits.

“We have been reinvestigating this one and as a result we have decided to arrest this man. It’s a significant breakthrough.

“Any rape is an extreme violation and a horrendous crime and we must do our utmost to solve these types of offences.

“This is the second historic rape arrest in as many months.

“Our team has been up and running for 14 months and we’re starting to yield results.

“This case is one of a significant number being developed.”

For more developments on this story, visit the Oxford Mail website.

• Oxford Mail