Leeds: Sex offender used noose to drag woman away in ‘sinister’ attack | British News

A man put a noose around a mother’s neck and then sexually assaulted her during her school run.

Ben Creek, 31, assaulted the woman on May 4 last year as she was returning from dropping off her child at school in Holbeck, Leeds.

He dragged her to a nearby lawn, choked her with the noose and pinned her to the ground.

But his victim, in his mid-twenties, fought back and Creek was interrupted by a passer-by.

He escaped, disguising himself in a black cap, black face covering and black coat with a fur-lined hood.

Creek appeared to be deliberately taking a complicated path and could only be caught by CCTV as a figure in the distance.

But a camera took good pictures of him as he passed, and police released them on social media on May 15.

This “immediately garnered a great deal of public attention” and Creek was identified as a suspect.

He was arrested the same day it was revealed he had also exposed himself to a schoolgirl in Morley, Leeds on May 9.

Originally, Creek was charged with sexual assault, assault with actual physical harm, and committing a felony with intent to commit a relevant sex offense, and disclosure

The charge for the May 5 incident was later updated in court under Section 21 of the Offenses Against the Person Act 1861 – attempting to choke, suffocate or strangle another person in order to commit a criminal offense, in addition on the sexual assault charge.

He admitted further charges of indecent exposure at Leeds Crown Court, where he was awarded a 13-year sentence against Creed on Friday.

Detective Inspector Suzanne Hall said: “This was a very eerie and disturbing incident in which a woman was brazenly attacked near a busy road as she was returning to school from her child during the morning rush hour.”

“It was a terrifying experience for her and we know she is understandably traumatized.”

“Women and girls should be safe in leading a life free from fear of violence and harassment and West Yorkshire Police’s strategy to combat violence against women and girls reaffirms our commitment to work with our partner agencies to increase our focus on serving the county to make it a safer place.” .

“Getting dangerous offenders like Creek off the streets will always be an important part of our work to keep women and girls safe.”

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