Bedford man found guilty of sexual offences following “predatory” assault on two teenage girls
A man from Bedford has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a teenage girl and assaulting another, in a terrifying home invasion attack in January.
Aaron Irvine, 19, of Thor Drive, Bedford, was found guilty at Luton Crown Court today (Thursday), of sexual assault, and trespass with intent to commit sexual assault, following an eight-day trial.
He pleaded guilty to common assault and possession of an offensive weapon.
At around 2.45pm on Wednesday 2 January, a 17-year-old girl answered a knock at the door of a house she was visiting in a rural mid-Bedfordshire village, to see a man dressed head-to-toe in black, including a balaclava and rubber gloves, holding a knife at chest height.
He made his way inside the house, indicating that in return for sexual acts, he wouldn’t steal anything from the home, and then proceeded to sexually assault her 17-year-old friend.
The attack continued into a bedroom at the property, where he further assaulted both girls, and when one tried to call the police, he took the phone from her.
The girls managed to escape from the house to flag down a passing car for help, and the police were called.
Irvine was identified by one of the girls as he walked away from the house, and following a short pursuit by officers across a field, Irvine was arrested.
His rucksack was found to contain a lock knife and a hunting knife, rope, tape, wet wipes, latex gloves and a lock pick.
A search of his home revealed detailed handwritten notes of his plans to commit a sexual assault on an unknown woman in her own home.
