Man given life sentence for Raleigh Park rape

A man has been charged  with raping a young woman who was out running in the Botley area in January.

Mark Pearton, aged 44, sexually assaulted the young woman who was out running at around 7:45 on the 10th of January 2017. The woman cannot be named for legal reasons.

Pearton’s prosecutor, Michael Roques, told the court that Pearton was dressed in a balaclava and used a head torch. He threatened her with a knife, before taking her across Harcourt Hill Road and into Raleigh Park.

After the assault, Pearton fled the scene with items of her clothing to avoid his DNA being found by the police.

Harcourt Hill Campus

Pearton is a repeat offender. He was released from prison in 2015 on a life sentence after he was deemed no longer a danger to the public. He had been in prison for 16 years for the rape of a 13 year old girl in East Sussex.

Police still do not know why Pearton decided to come to the county, and are concerned that he has raped other women in other counties. They are appealing for people to come forward with any information.

DI Holmes has said, “The victim has gone through a life-changing event and it will be with her and her family forever”.

Judge Pringle told Pearton, “This was a promising young girl, permanently scarred by what you did”.