CCTV shows rapist Stuart Thompson hunt his victims in Manchester city centre before attacking them at knifepoint and treating them like ‘pieces of meat’ – he was given a life sentence on Friday
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Police release CCTV of Stuart Thomson
Chilling footage shows a knife-wielding rapist hunt for his victims before he was caught after one simple slip-up.
Evil predator Stuart Thompson attacked three women in three hours in Manchester city centre, but was luckily tracked down after leaving his hat at the scene. The thug treated the women “like pieces of meat” and “less than human”, forcing himself on them then putting them through the grief of a trial by denying his guilt.
But a jury saw through it, finding him guilty at Manchester crown court. The thug, branded a “dangerous sexual predator” by police, was jailed for life on Friday.
Thompson, who had taken crack cocaine on the night of the attacks, had approached the women behind Piccadilly station soliciting them for sex in return for money, before producing a knife and raping them. He raped three women, and attempted to rape a fourth. He also robbed the fourth victim of her handbag and phone.
Greater Manchester Police revealed that a woolly hat left at the scene by the perpetrator had been swabbed, leading them to a hostel where Thompson had been staying at the time. Turning up at the address, officers spotted him wearing the same distinctive green jacket he was in on the CCTV footage.
A judge told Thompson he had targeted the women cynically believing that, as sex workers, they were less likely to go to the police or be believed. “You treated each of these women like pieces of meat, as less than human,” Judge Hilary Manley said.
“Your contempt for each of them was plainly evident throughout the trial and particularly when you gave evidence. I am wholly satisfied that you deliberately targeted sex workers as your victims, because you knew that you could get them isolated and alone in a quiet location in order to rape them, and also because you were cynically confident that they would be less likely to go to the police, and that even if they did find the courage and strength to do so, that they would be less likely to be believed.”
Thompson, of Stockport, was handed a life sentence, and ordered to serve a minimum of 18 years. Judge Manley told him he showed “no remorse at all” and that he continued to pose “a very grave and enduring danger towards all females, fuelled by an intense hatred towards them”.
Following the sentencing, Det Sgt Jennifer Savazzi from GMP said: “It’s clear that Stuart Thomson is a dangerous sexual predator. He forcibly imposed himself upon these women in a violent and callous way with no consideration for the damage he was doing to them. I would like to praise our victims and survivors who have shown extraordinary courage throughout and have done all they can to assist the investigation and prosecution, it is their courage which has got us here today. This has been a lengthy and difficult process for them, and I am full of admiration for the courage and tenacity they have shown.
“By not accepting responsibility, Thompson has forced them to relive their pain throughout this trial. The harm offenders like Thomson cause are incalculable, but I hope this result goes some way in reassuring our victims, survivors, and members of the public that a dangerous man is off our streets, and i welcome this sentence today.”
Thompson was found guilty of three counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, three counts of threatening a person with a knife, one count of sexual assault and one count of possessing a bladed article. He pleaded guilty to one count of robbery.