A man who attacked a lone woman in Manchester City Centre has been jailed for life
A jury found Stuart Thomson aged 34 of Buxton Road, Stockport, guilty of three counts of rape, attempted rape, sexual assault, three counts of threatening another with a bladed article, and possession of a bladed article following a ten-day trial at Crown Square Crown Court in which he pleaded not guilty
The Jury heard that in January 2024 police received a 999 call from a victim stating she had been raped at knife point on Mancunian Way, Manchester. As police attended the scene, they were approached by a second victim, who had also been raped at knife point. Throughout the day, police received two more reports of a rape and an attempted rape at knife point, in the same location.
Thomson was was captured on CCTV wearing distinctive items of clothing, including a hoodie with a grey insert on the back, a coat with green lining, a wool hat, and a high vis style t shirt and police also recovered a wool hat, which was mentioned in one of the victim statements
Thomson was arrested, and following a search of the address he was staying at, police seized several items of clothing which he was captured on CCTV wearing to commit the violent offences.
Detective Sergeant Jennifer Savazzi from our Longsight Criminal Investigations Department said:“It’s clear that Stuart Thomson is a dangerous sexual predator. He forcibly imposed himself upon these women in a violent and callous way with no consideration for the damage he was doing to them.
“I would like to praise our victims and survivors who have shown extraordinary courage throughout and have done all they can to assist the investigation and prosecution, it is their courage which has got us here today. This has been a lengthy and difficult process for them, and I am full of admiration for the courage and tenacity they have shown.
“By not accepting responsibility, Thompson has forced them to relive their pain throughout this trial. The harm offenders like Thomson cause are incalculable, but I hope this result goes some way in reassuring our victims, survivors, and members of the public that a dangerous man is off our streets, and i welcome this sentence today.”
Joanne Lovick, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “Thomson targeted lone women and lured them to a secluded location where he raped them at knifepoint.
“He showed no remorse for the trauma he inflicted with his brutal crimes, which have left a lasting impact on the three women he attacked.
“Even though Thomson denied his guilt and put the three women through the pain of a trial, the Crown Prosecution Service arranged for each of the victims to give their evidence in the way that was best for them – to minimise the impact of having to relive their ordeal.
