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Sex attacker snared by DNA 21 years after crimes

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ADVANCES in DNA technology snared a sex attacker who preyed on lone women – 21 years later.

In 1991 Andrew Parton, from Gloucester, targeted female dog walkers with lewd and indecent behaviour, but his past caught up with him, a court heard.

The lorry driver confessed all when told of a DNA match.

When he left bodily fluid on one victim in 1991, police were unable to extract a full DNA profile but retained the sample.

In 2006, advances in testing methods meant a profile was extracted from the evidence but a match was not made until last year, when Parton was arrested following an allegation of child cruelty and had to give a sample.

Parton, 44, of Gurney Avenue, pleaded guilty to three sex assaults and was sentenced on Tuesday at Bristol Crown Court.

Nadeem Aullybocus, prosecuting, said that in June 1991 Parton, then aged 23, exposed himself to a 34-year-old woman in Stoke Park, Bristol, and committed a sex act.

Less than two weeks later, Parton accosted a 36-year-old woman in the same park and she swore at him.

Mr Aullybocus said Parton followed her, made lewd comments, touched her backside and tried to pull up her skirt.

The next day, Parton targeted a 58-year-old woman who fell over while crossing a stream in Lincombe Barn Woods, Downend, Bristol.

Mr Aullybocus said Parton committed a sex act and made a series of lewd demands of the woman.

He left vital DNA evidence on her before running off.

The victim's daughter described her mother, who has since died, as a strong woman whose confidence was knocked by the assault.

After his arrest, Parton admitted what he had done in Downend and showed police where his other attacks happened. He said at the time he had a job as a delivery driver and was "skiving off work".

Alex Daymond, defending, said his client would "more than welcome" an alternative to custody but could not undergo the sex offender programme suggested by probation officers due to work commitments.

Judge Graham Hume Jones gave him a three-year community rehabilitation order, telling him he would be jailed if he did not cooperate.

The judge said: "This case caused me very considerable concern. It is one of the most difficult sentences I've ever faced.

"In view of your pleading guilty to three offences back in 1991 it put you, in my judgement, as a person who would pose a great danger to individual ladies walking in parks or other places.

"I have no doubt that if you had been apprehended in 1991 you probably would have gone to prison."

The judge said that, due to time elapsed and sentencing options now available to him, the community order was the only way for Parton to be supervised.

He said he had considered making Parton attend the sex offender programme but that would interfere with his driving job and it was not right to set him up to fail.

The judge said: "It indicates a total lack of understanding by the legislators who deal with these offences, and I say that in public."

Parton's ex-wife, also from Gloucester, who attended the hearing, described the sentence as "disgusting".


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