Roland Long: Man admits raping woman more than 40 years ago

Roland Long faces a "significant and immediate" custodial sentence

A man has admitted raping a woman in Cardiff more than 40 years ago.

Roland Long, 67 from Nailsea, North Somerset was charged with the attack that occurred on 17 August 1980.

He had previously denied the charge, but changed his plea at a hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday.

Adjourning sentencing for pre-sentence reports Judge Lloyd-Clarke told Long he faced a "significant and immediate" custodial sentence.

Long was arrested in 2020, after South Wales Police detectives used DNA evidence to link him to an unsolved attack in the Roath area of the capital in August 1980.

He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on 18 February.

The rape happened in a lane in the Roath area of Cardiff

Head of South Wales Police's Specialist Crime Review Unit Det Insp Patrick Catto said: "We remain committed to investigating undetected serious crimes and often re-look at cases as forensic science develops.

"Today's plea shows how this commitment can bring results for victims and bring perpetrators to justice."

Since 2019, the unit - under the name of Operation Dudley - has been researching undetected serious sexual offences across south Wales dating back many decades.