Man jailed for ‘sexually motivated’ attack on woman who was walking her dog in Eastbourne

Police said Lewis Wood, 29, grabbed the woman from behind before assaulting her and pulling her to the floor at around 2.25pm on Saturday, February 25, in Hampden Park.

A Sussex Police spokesperson added: “CCTV footage showed Wood, of no fixed address, creep through the bushes before running back to his car after the attack just over a minute later.

“He appeared before Lewes Crown Court on Friday, August 18, and was sentenced to three years in prison with an extended two years on licence after pleading guilty to intent to commit a sexual offence and non-fatal strangulation at an earlier hearing.”

The court heard that just five minutes before the attack Wood had been calling and texting a sex worker asking for sex in exchange for money, according to officers.

Police said Wood was arrested less than 20 minutes after police received a call from a witness who came to the woman’s aid.

Wood’s car was spotted by officers half-a-mile from the scene and both a mobile phone and cable ties were found inside, Sussex Police added.

Detective Constable Abi Kelvie from the Safeguarding Investigations team said: “This was a terrifying attack on a woman who was walking her dog in broad daylight.

“Thanks to the victim’s incredible bravery in providing a description of this man, we quickly caught up with Wood and he was subsequently arrested and charged.

“During the investigation we then found he had been trying to engage the services of a prostitute just five minutes before the attack. This showed this was a sexually motivated attack and Wood was on the hunt for a victim.

“Thanks to the work of the investigation teams we have been able to remove a very dangerous man from our streets and this demonstrates our determination to catch offenders and get justice for their victims.”

Police said extended sentences are imposed in certain types of cases where the court has found that the offender is dangerous and an extended licence period is required to protect the public from risk of serious harm.

The judge also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), preventing Wood from committing further sexual offences, according to officers.