Man jailed for attacking woman in Scunthorpe

A man who attacked a woman whilst she walked home from a night out in Scunthorpe on the morning of 10 October 2021, has been sentenced to three years and four months in prison.

Carl Pass, 48, of Neville Road in Scunthorpe, was quickly identified and arrested and has remained remanded into custody ever since. He pleaded guilty to committing an offence with the intention to commit a sexual offence. Pass has also been placed on the sexual offenders register for life.

Mr Pass approached the victim from behind in West Common Lane playing fields, with her describing being ‘zapped’ in the neck and torso.

Despite the victim’s desperate attempts to fend off her attacker, Pass forced her to the ground, and pinned her there, face down. He placed a hand over her mouth and her breathing was restricted to such an extent that she passed out and remained unconscious for over two minutes.

She only regained consciousness when Pass, having initially left her lying motionless and face down, returned to the scene and feigned concern for her wellbeing. He posed as a worried passer-by offering assistance. It was clear from his actions that he assumed she would not recognise him as her attacker.

Thankfully passers-by came to her assistance, and she was able to get to safety and report the attack to us.

Officer in the case, Detective Constable Katie Drapier from our Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) Unit, said: “This incident was shocking and distressing, even more so due to the level of violence used by Carl Pass against the victim.

“The victim has been so incredibly brave throughout and I can’t begin to put myself in her shoes. I would like to thank her, her family and all the witnesses who came forward to assist our investigation, for their support throughout and for their kind comments passed onto my team.”

Detective Inspector Ruth Penning, also from the force’s PVP unit, said: “Whilst the number of stranger attacks like these, particularly of this severity, remain low in our area, we understand that incidents of sexual harassment, abuse and assault against women are not uncommon throughout the UK, and our area is very sadly not an exception to that.

“Policing violence against women and girls remains a Force priority. We are committed to making our streets safer by preventing these types of crimes, investigating reported offences and pursuing perpetrators and bringing them to justice.

“Whilst I understand that nothing can reverse what happened to this victim, I hope that the swift actions to arrest this dangerous man helps to reassure our communities and serve as a stark warning to offenders that we will hold them to account.

“We also have a number of specialist support networks in place for victims to ensure they don’t have to go through this process alone once they come forward.

“All victims are encouraged to speak to us, partner agencies or the independent anonymous charity Crimestoppers, when they’re ready. You will be believed, and we will thoroughly investigate your report.”

On sentencing, Judge Fanning said: “At a time when the resolve of certain police forces to address crimes against women is questioned by many, this police force, and its officers, are to be commended for the speed with which they reacted, and the resources and zeal poured into this case in order to find you so quickly on initially limited evidence. It was a truly impressive piece of detective work.”