A 20-year-old man has been sentenced to five years for an attempted rape in Boston.
Keith Lindop pleaded guilty to the offence and a separate charge of actual bodily harm and was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday, 15 November.
Just after 3:15 am on Sunday, 22 June this year, police received a 999 call from a member of the public reporting that a woman in her 20s had been attacked and was at McDonald’s on Queen Street in the town.
Officers attended and spoke to the victim, who had been attacked in the long-stay car park on George Street.
A spokesperson for the police force said:
‘Following the attack, we carried out an investigation that drafted in expertise from across the force: response officers swiftly safeguarded the victim, located the scene, and completed all “golden hour” inquiries – the vital set of initial enquiries to capture crucial evidence. Officers from various departments spent the immediate hours after the attack walking the streets of Boston, knocking on doors, and reviewing hours of CCTV footage to track the suspect and obtain a clear image of him for the media appeal.
‘The appeal was launched within hours, using an image captured from CCTV. Lindop’s name was put forward by multiple members of the public, and positive identifications came from several sources.
‘To build the vital evidence to place Lindop at the scene of the crime, officers trawled hours of CCTV captured from nine separate cameras, which traced Lindop before, during, and after the attack. Injuries found on his body also matched the victim’s account. Swabs taken from both the victim and suspect provided the critical forensic link that helped secure this conviction, bringing Lindop to justice.
‘The Lincolnshire Police Tactical Support Team helped conduct searches of the area where the attack took place and carried out house-to-house enquiries while also attending to several other incidents that occurred at a similar time.
‘Crime Scene Investigators worked at the scene to develop essential forensic strategies crucial for the meticulous collation of evidence.
‘The evidence that secured the suspect’s arrest came from Protecting Vulnerable Persons officers completing CCTV enquiries and finding a still image on CCTV for the media release, which resulted in his identification. Our Evidence Management Unit compiled a thorough compilation of all the CCTV footage, showing the suspect’s movements from start to finish, which was pivotal in bringing this predator to justice.
DC Sarah Oliver, the officer in charge of the case, said: “Lindop is a predatory and dangerous individual in the way that he watched and followed the victim. He was excessively violent during the attack. It was down to the courage and determination that the young woman showed in standing up to him that she managed to escape.”
Boston Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Ian Cotton said:
“This really was excellent work from our officers, working all hours to bring this dangerous offender to justice.
“No woman should go through what this survivor did.
“Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority, and there should be no hiding place for those who prey on women. If you feel unsafe in an environment locally, we want to hear about it. You can report through Streetsafe or contact your local policing team.”