Woman, 99, still haunted by attempted rape, court hears

• Man pleads guilty to attempted rape, burglary                    
• She "can still feel his hands round my neck"                    
• He says: "I still see that poor woman's face"                    

           
           
               
A MAN who bashed and attempted to rape a 99-year-old widow after tricking his way into her home has destroyed her way of life, a court heard today.                                 
           
                
In a victim impact statement read to the County Court the great-grandmother said she had changed from being an active and independent woman to being jumpy and frightened in her own home.

She said she changed all the locks on the doors in her home, no longer goes on long walks or potters around in her garden and any stories of violence in the news upsets her.

"I can still feel his hands round my neck,'' she said in her statement.

Prosecutor Ray Gibson said Christopher Valle, 24, threatened, assaulted and terrorised the victim over an extended period, threw her on a bed and sexually assaulted her and attempted to rape her.

Mr Gibson said that after stealing $70 and a bank card Valle left the home and the victim was found by a daughter standing in pouring rain in her underwear in her backyard after she activated an emergency call pendant.

Great Grandmother