Northampton rapist sentenced to 12 years in prison after new forensics solve 2012 attack

A Northampton rapist has been handed a 12-year prison term after new forensics solved a 2012 attack, which left his victim with scars that are 'a daily reminder' of that night.

Martin Twort, formerly of Byfield Road, St James, was 22 at the time of the attack.

Now 31, Twort was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on December 16 after a jury found him guilty in October.

His Honour Judge David Herbert QC, presiding, described how Twort found his victim 'in an intoxicated and depressive state' where he promised to drive her home.

Judge Herbert said: "Instead of driving her home, you took her to a remote rural location outside of Northampton to have sex with her, whether she wanted you to or not.

"You assaulted her inside the vehicle before roughly removing her from it. You then threatened her with a pocket knife. You threatened to kill her if she didn't have sex with you.

"She was afraid for her life.

"The injuries included a number of minor cuts caused by the knife, which you held close to her to reinforce your threats.

"She received a number of small cuts in her breasts and forearm."

In her victim impact statement, the woman described the scar on her forearm as a 'constant reminder of what took place in 2012' and said the crime only exacerbated her pre-existing depression, a fact the judge said was 'understandable' given the crime.

After the assault Twort threatened to kill his victim again if she should try to report the crime to authorities.

The victim was then able to escape, where she was later found by a passing motorist.

Despite the fact Twort left his DNA on the victim, forensics of the time were unable to find a match on the existing police data banks.

It was not until Twort was arrested in 2017 for an unrelated crime that the DNA he submitted was matched with that sample found on the night of the 2012 attack.

Twort then denied that he had ever met his victim.

The defence barrister said that while a 'level of planning was involved', the offender had not set out that night to commit the crime.

They argued that the knife was not a larger 'Rambo knife', which would indicate more pre-planning, and instead a 'small folding pocket knife' that Twort used opportunistically on his victim.

It was also argued that Twort was a fan of driving his car around, as 'young men' are want to do, he said.

However, Judge Herbert disagreed, saying: "On that night, I am quite satisfied from the evidence that you were in that car looking for a woman that night, with a view to commit sexual offences.

"There are many aggravating factors in this case; the location of the offence, the fact that you used a weapon, the ejaculation and the fact that you attempted to prevent the victim from reporting the crime."

But Judge Herbert stopped short of applying a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), which would have barred Twort from particular activities, as he did not believe the offender posed a 'significant threat to the public'. Reasons cited included the length of time since the offence, in which he did not reoffend, and his lack of a previous criminal record.

Twort was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story stated that Twort was seen on CCTV prior to the incident taking place. This was incorrect. The article has been amended and we apologise for the error.