A lady assaulted on a Norwich pavement by Rapist Derry Bates attempting to rape her has expressed gratitude to the two men who intervened, stating she “owes them my life”.
The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was walking on Marriott’s Way in broad daylight while on the phone to a friend when she was approached from behind by Derry Bates.
Derry Bates struck her on the back of the head, subsequently delivering more punches to her face and dragged her by her foot into the adjacent woods, where he removed her tracksuit bottoms and knickers.
However, two guys working in proximity heard her screams and rushed to assist, compelling Derry Bates to escape prior to the assault. He was subsequently located by the police, concealed within a bush.
Last month, the 45-year-old, Derry Bates, received a protracted 13-year sentence, comprising eight years of incarceration and five years on extended parole, after a jury deliberated for just over an hour to convict him of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Derry Bates, who declined to attend his trial, was also found guilty of an offence with the purpose to perpetrate a sexual crime against the victim.
In an interview with a newspaper following the incident, the woman expressed her gratitude towards the two guys, stating that she “owed her life to them.”
She stated, “They are the reason for my presence here today.”
Few individuals would jeopardise their own life to assist another.
They jeopardised their own lives and averted a far graver situation for me.
“I am fortunate they were present at that moment; I had hoped someone would hear my cries for assistance, and I will eternally be grateful to those who aided me.”
The trial at Norwich Crown Court revealed how the guys in proximity reacted to her cries.
One individual, employed on the adjacent Barker Street, stated that he initially perceived the sounds as emanating from children at play.
However, he subsequently recognised that they were “distressing” and resembled “screams for help.”
He proceeded to investigate and was accompanied by another man who enquired, “What is that noise?”
He reported discovering a woman on the floor with a man “crouched over her, his hand upon her.”
The witness stated that the woman was supine and appeared “terrified.”
He said the man told him she was his girlfriend but the woman said “I don’t know this man, I’ve not seen this man before”.
The victim, who had thought she was going to die during the attack, at about 1.30pm on May 24 last year, and will no longer go out on her own.
She said: “I will no longer go to parks anymore; I cannot go out alone.
“I will always go out with someone, I feel stressed, and I am always looking over my shoulder.
“I have been to a lot of doctor’s appointments and must take medication to help me. I have permanent health issues.
“I have added additional security features to my property.
“Mentally I will never recover from this.”
But despite her horrendous ordeal, she is urging other potential victims to have the courage, as she did, to go to police and get justice.
She said: “I felt relieved when I heard he got eight years.
“It means during this time there will be no other woman who is victim of this man.
“If any other women were attacked by this man I would encourage them to come forward.”
She added: “If you keep these things quiet things will only get worse.
“The people that do bad things need to be punished.
“It is important for women who have been attacked to talk about what has happened.
“It is not good for their mental state if they keep it in. It’s very important to come forwards to prevent other women experiencing the same thing.
“I would say to women who do come forward the police will protect you. I felt fully supported”.
Jailing Derry Bates, Recorder Michael Turner told him: “This was a violent attack and there is no doubt you were intent upon a violent sexual assault at least, and full rape at the very worst.
“In a cowardly attack on her you came up from behind, hitting her around the head before dragging her a short distance down Marriott’s Way into the edge of the woodland.
“It is clear to me that you represent a significant risk to women and have shown contempt for the trial process with refusal, without cause, to attend.”
Derry Bates, who was homeless at the time and is now in HMP Norwich, was found not guilty of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and another charge of committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence.
Speaking after sentence, Detective Constable Martin Bentley paid tribute to “strength and courage” of the victim and thanked the witnesses who “quickly reacted to the situation”.
He said: “I’d like to praise the tremendous bravery and courage of the victim throughout this investigation and trial.
“This was a very harrowing incident where a lone female victim was targeted in public by a particularly dangerous man she had never met.”
He added: “I would also like to commend the actions of the passers-by, whose brave and decisive intervention clearly saved the victim from even more considerable harm.”
He said he hoped the verdict will bring some sense of justice to the victim “as she starts to rebuild her life”.
To report a sexual offence call police on 101.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.