Police blunder meant Nuneaton rapist was free to attack two more women

A police blunder meant a teenage rapist was free to continue his reign of terror for another 15 years, a court heard.



In 1987, officers spoke to 16-year-old suspect Mark Harrison about the rape of a 15-year-old girl near Pingles Leisure Park in Nuneaton.

But after talking to him for just five minutes at his home in Edward Street, Nuneaton, they left without arresting him or conducting a formal interview.

They also failed to take a sample from him for DNA comparison or even check whether he had clothes which matched those of the attacker.

As a result Harrison was free to rape a woman in February 1992 - for which he was jailed for 20 years in 2013 - and to sexually assault a woman in a churchyard in August 2002 - for which he was jailed for 24 years in 2014.

Now ex-boxer Harrison, aged 45, formerly of Croft Road, Nuneaton, has been jailed for 11 years after a jury at Warwick Crown Court took just 50 minutes to convict him of the 1987 attack.

That will not add to his overall sentence, but Judge Stephen Eyre QC said he was taking steps to make sure the Parole Board is aware of his assessment of Harrison’s dangerousness.

Jailing Harrison, who already has to register as a sex offender for life, Judge Eyre told him: “This was a rape at night of a young woman, and you used violence and threatened even more violence. It was a terrifying ordeal for her.

“She has shown great courage in getting on with her life, but your actions have had a great effect on her.

“You committed very similar offences in February 1992 and in August 2002, using violence to rape or attempt to rape lone women walking through Nuneaton at night.

“I have no doubt you are a dangerous offender.

“If I were sentencing you now for the 2002 offence, knowing you had started at the age of 16, I would be considering a life sentence.”