‘Night Stalker’ sentenced to 27 years jail

Grant caught on CCTV - Met Police

The Brockley mini-cab driver dubbed ‘the Night Stalker’  who was once one of the most wanted men in London has been sentenced to a minimum of 27 years in prison today.

Delroy Grant, 53 was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday of 29 offences of burglary, rape and indecent assault, committed across a wide area of south London over a 17-year-peri0d. Sentencing Grant, Judge Peter Rook told Grant “your utter depravity knows no bounds”.

Judge Rook said: “I have no doubt that you are a very evil man capable of committing heinous crimes.”

He said Grant left a “trail of distress, fear and misery” and carried out “humiliating and degrading sexual attacks” on his victims.

Grant attacked his victims in their homes at night

He added: “You targeted elderly victims living alone. Your actions blighted the remaining precious years of their lives.

He was given four life sentences and told he would serve a minimum of 27 years.

Grant was caught in November 2009 following a lengthy police investigation which involved hundreds of officers and cost tens of millions of pounds.

In a statement released after Grant’s conviction, Commander Simon Foy, head of the Metropolitan Police’s homicide and serious crime command described Grant as a “perverted, callous and violent individual” who had not shown “any sign of remorse for what he has done.”

Grant, a former minicab driver and father of 10, was found guilty by a jury of offences against at least 18 victims, however it is feared the total could be much higher. He was found guilty of all charges brought against him by a majority verdict of 10 to two.

From 1992 to 2009 Grant targeted frail men and woman in their homes across south London and Surrey, including Croydon, subjecting many of his victims to humiliating sexual attacks. He would unscrew light bulbs and cut telephone cables before attacking his victims. Many of his victims lived alone and were in their 80’s, and seven have since died.

Elderly people in the targeted areas were said to become so fearful that some started sleeping in the day in order to be awake at night-time.

Delroy Grant

One of his victims aged 88 said: “I cannot emphasise enough my feelings of embarrassments and humiliation during the attack and subsequently. I feared for my life and believed I was going to be murdered.”

In 2009, Grant’s attacks became more frequent. Commander Simon Foy said that this is what led to a “change in the level of investigation” prior to his arrest in November of the same year.

Jonathon Laidlaw QC, prosecuting, said that Grant’s crimes were: “the stuff of nightmares”.

It was also revealed today that police missed a key chance to stop Grant in 1999 after an administrative blunder. He was ruled out of their enquiry when officers checked his DNA samples against that of another person with the same name.

Commander Foy apologised, saying: “It is appropriate for the Metropolitan Police Service to apologise now for this missed opportunity that led to his continued offending.”

Foy also paid tribute to the victims of Grant for their, “immense courage and dignity throughout the investigation”.

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