A rapist who took a woman walking her dog into a forest in broad daylight before committing a “horrifying” sexual assault was sentenced to eleven years in prison.
Brandon Woolven, a 22-year-old Brighton resident with no fixed home, pled guilty to rape, two counts of sexual assault, and two charges of assault resulting in actual bodily harm during a previous court appearance.
On Friday, Woolven was given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a term of 11.5 years in prison (SHPO).
The victim, a woman in her twenties, was attacked in April 2022 as she walked her dog in a wooded area near Pontefract Road in South Yorkshire at 10 a.m.
Brandon Woolven (pictured), 22, of no fixed address, pled guilty to rape, two counts of sexual assault, and two charges of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and was sentenced to 11.5 years in prison.
Woolven took the woman off the roadway and dragged her deeper into the bushes, where he assaulted her physically and sexually.
Two joggers who witnessed the assault and intervened to pull Woolven away from his victim and restrain him until police officers arrived saved her.
Additionally, one of the joggers was assaulted during the incident.
The court heard on Friday that the girl told police she feels she would have been killed if two bystanders had not intervened owing to the ‘ferocity’ of the attack.
The incident occurred when the woman walked her dog through South Yorkshire forest near Pontefract Road and Beevor Street in Barnsley (pictured)
Detective Constable Becky Robinson from Barnsley CID told Sheffield Crown Court, “Woolven is a really dangerous Man who has showed no remorse for his conduct despite pleading guilty to the charges against him.”
“In my sixteen years as a police officer, I have never encountered an investigation as horrible as this one.”
Woolven randomly assaulted his victim in broad daylight and subjected her to the most severe and prolonged physical and sexual abuse imaginable.
Ms. Robinson reported that the victim is healing from the physical and mental injuries she sustained in the attack.
She remarked, “I hope that with today’s sentencing, she will be able to take another step on her road to recovery.”
During the sentence hearing, the two members of the public who interfered were also recognized for their bravery.