Man jailed for nine years for 1990 Cheltenham rape

Paul Shakespeare was working as a taxi driver at the time

A man has been jailed for nine years for raping an 18-year-old woman who was walking her dog on a footpath more than 30 years ago.

Paul Shakespeare, 66, from Carlisle, threatened the woman with a sharpened stick with a nail in it before the attack in Cheltenham, in April 1990.

He pleaded guilty to rape in November 2021 at Gloucester Crown Court.

In a statement read to the court, the victim said being raped would "haunt her for the rest of her life".

Judge Michael Cullum told Shakespeare the verdict was "a belated reckoning" for his actions.

The case featured on the BBC's Crimewatch programme in 2008, but despite a huge number of calls from the public, no one was charged until 2021.

Shakespeare was caught after a DNA sample was taken by police after he was arrested for exposing himself to a woman in a park, which matched the profile of the attacker on the national database.

The Honeybourne Line is a cycle and pedestrian path in Chelteham

The court was told Shakespeare forced his victim into bushes beside the cycle path in broad daylight

The victim's statement also said she had been so traumatised by the attack she had tried to take her own life.

"I felt embarrassed, violated and dirty. To this day my Mum is not aware of what happened to me," the statement said.

"As a result of not being able to open up I have carried these feelings with me for 31 years.

"I'm grateful that he's finally admitted what he has done, but this doesn't take away from the devastating impact of what he had on my life.

"He never came forward and this left me broken and unable to cope for many years. I hope when he hears this he feels remorse for his actions."

Police detective Mike Wilson took on the investigation in 1990

Retired Detective Sergeant Mike Wilson, who led the initial investigation in 1990, said: "I've been involved in lots of investigations during my 31 years in the police service, but this horrendous crime always stayed in the back of my mind and never went away.

"Being told that there was finally a DNA match more than 30 years later was great news."

'Denied justice'

The judge told Shakespeare he would have served 12 years had he not pleaded guilty. He also took into account his poor physical and mental health.

"This is a belated reckoning," he said. "I am so relieved this day has finally come for your victim.

"For 30 years she has been denied justice and living daily with the nightmare you inflicted upon her.

"That nightmare does not end with sentence. At least she and all women will be safe from you for a considerable period of time."

Shakespeare has been placed on the sex offenders' register for life.