Whitehaven man tried to rape girl days after jail release

Stephen Hodgson had been looking at child abuse and rape images in the hours before he carried out the attack

A man tried to rape a teenager during an attack at her flat just days after serving a jail term for stabbing two women.

Stephen Hodgson targeted the 17-year-old in her Kendal home a fortnight after his release, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

His victim was only saved when a man heard her screaming and intervened.

Hodgson, 23, of Whitehaven, pleaded guilty to attempted rape and was jailed for eight years.

The court heard how Hodgson had been drinking all day when he targeted the teenager in the early hours of 28 December 2019.

He carried out the attack after searching on his phone for prostitutes and escorts, as well as looking at child abuse images and videos of rapes.

'Lost consciousness'

During the attack he punched his victim in the face repeatedly fracturing her nose making her believe he was going to kill her, the hearing head.

Prosecutor Richard Haworth said a man elsewhere in the building heard cries of "help me" and ran into the flat to see the victim on the floor covered in blood and decorations from a Christmas tree that had fallen over.

Mr Haworth said: "She couldn't feel anything and she believes that she must have lost consciousness."

In a victim impact statement, the woman spoke of being left "terrified", "scared" and "utterly frightened".

Hodgson, of Herdus Road, Whitehaven, had just been released from a 39-month prison sentence for stabbing two women with a carving fork, at an 18th birthday party in 2016.

Judge Nicholas Barker said Hodgson was a "danger" and ordered him to serve an extended five-year licence period and sign the sex offenders register for life.