Night Stalker Jailed For 27 Years

Delroy Grant, dubbed the Night Stalker, who terrorised the elderly in a 17-year long campaign of burglary and sexual assault, has been jailed for a minimum of 27 years.

The 53-year-old, of Brockley, south east London was charged with 29 counts on Thursday, which included rape, burglary and indecent assault.

Police described his crimes as "awful and disturbing" and apologised for missing chances which could have stopped him.

Sentencing him, Judge Peter Rook said: "Your utter depravity knows no bounds."

Grant was given four life sentences at Woolwich Crown Court.

Police linked Grant to incidents involving 203 separate surviving victims - but fear his actual number of victims could be as many as 600. They think many of his victims may have died without reporting what had happened.

Judge Rook said: "I have no doubt that you are a very evil man capable of committing heinous crimes."

He said Grant left a "trail of distress, fear and misery" and carried out "humiliating and degrading sexual attacks" on his victims.

The Judge added: "You targeted elderly victims living alone. Your actions blighted the remaining precious years of their lives.

"Their homes, where many of them had lived for years, should have been their safest refuge where they could have expected to live their lives undisturbed and at peace.

"It's hard to imagine the extreme fear that the feel of your gloved hand and the sight of your masked figure looming above them must have been felt by your victims in their beds."

Judge Rook told Grant that he might never be released from prison.

He was given life sentences on three counts of rape and one of attempted rape.

Grant was also given concurrent eight-year sentences for seven indecent assaults, and concurrent six-year sentences for 18 burglaries and attempted burglaries.

(BMcN/GK)