Man gets 14 years for rape of boy
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Your support makes all the difference.A sex fiend was yesterday jailed for 14 years for the rape and attempted murder of a 13-year-old boy.
Mr Justice Collins told Leeds Crown Court that James Peacock, 49, deserved a lengthy sentence because he was a danger to the public and his victim was still terrified - he barricades his bedroom door at night.
Peacock, of Manningham, Bradford, was found guilty of attempting to murder the boy last month. He admitted the rape.
The court had heard that the teenager was fishing near a bridge in the Yorkshire town of Haworth when Peacock began to chat to him. As the boy packed up his belongings, Peacock produced a knife, grabbed the boy and raped him. When the boy hit him with a stone, Peacock tried to strangle him, punched him and then held his head under the water.
The judge said the youngster, who was found distressed andcovered in blood near the scene of the attack last June, had suffered terrible psychological injuries. He told Peacock: "I bear in mind the effect this had on the unfortunate boy. Suffice to say that he is still terrified.
"He barricades his bedroom door at night and he is terrified of sudden and unpredictable movements near him.
"He is afraid that you will be released from prison and attack him again. These fears are likely to remain for some time."
Peacock, a slightly-built man who worked as a forklift truck driver, showed no emotion after he was sentenced.
The judge said that there was no indication of any mental illness and he could see no reason why Peacock committed the "most dreadful attack".
At his trial, Peacock told the jury that he had drunk seven or eight pints during his day out in Haworth, the West Yorkshire town famous for its connection with the Brontes.
He said he had never had homosexual tendencies and he did not know why he had raped the boy. He told the court: "I was just totally disgusted. I couldn't believe I had done it."
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