Jail for man who broke woman's leg in sexual assault

Granada
Wavertree
Merseyside
Friday 9 December 2016 at 11:09am

Brendan Corner has been sentenced to eight years in jail Credit: Merseyside Police

A violent sex attacker has been jailed for eight years for an "horrendous" attack in a Liverpool street that left a woman with a broken leg likened to an injury more usually caused by the force of a car accident.

Brendan Joseph Corner of Stillington Road, Dingle, was sentenced to eight years imprisonment plus four years on an extended licence at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday for the sexual assault of a young mother in Wavertree in August.

In the early hours of Sunday 28 August, the victim, who had walked from the city centre via Upper Parliament Street to Earle Road, was at the junction with Freeman Street, when she was grabbed from behind and dragged into Freeman Street, where she was pushed to the floor. She was sexually assaulted before the man made off with her bag.

Despite suffering a badly broken leg in the attack, she managed to make her way to the end of the road and flag down a passer-by who contacted the emergency services.

Following extensive enquiries by the force's specialist Unity team, including CCTV appeals, Corner, 21, was arrested and charged.

A victim impact statement read out in court detailed the physical and mental trauma suffered by the woman, who says she "fought for her life" on the night she was attacked.

Extract from Victim's Personal Statement:

Since this happened, my perception of people has changed. I have not been out of my home very much since, I have not been out at night and if I've gone out in the daytime, I have not been alone. I feel I don't know what to expect from people anymore, I am anxious about going out in general. This attack has affected me and my ability to be a Mum, due to the injury I sustained, the time in hospital and heavy painkillers I was on. I was constantly drowsy and required support with my child, as I could not care for him alone. The injury that I suffered was a badly broken femur, it was an unusual injury and I remember the paramedic telling me that this type of injury is usually caused by the force of a car or motorbike accident. I felt shocked that a stranger could do this to me, I could not grasp the reality of what he had done. I fought for my life that night, he was forceful and aggressive and I was terrified. One minute I was walking home listening to my music, the next my world was turned upside down. I have had problems sleeping, I've suffered with flashbacks, nightmares and anxiety.

Detective Sergeant John Harrison, from Merseyside Police's Unity team welcomed the sentence of a "dangerous predator."

He urged any other victims of sexual assault not to suffer in silence and said that along with support and advice, officers can put measures in place to help victims from the point they make a report, right through to a court hearing.

To report a sexual offence call officers in the force's specialist Unity team on 0151 777 1382
Information can also be passed to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111