Claire Harden-Frost and Thom Dyke prosecute “truly dangerous” knifepoint rapist

Claire Harden-Frost and Thom Dyke successfully prosecuted a 37-year-old man for a prolonged and traumatic attack. 

Sentencing Karan Pullock to an extended sentence of 18 years, HHJ Aaronberg KC said:

“You armed yourself with a kitchen knife, put a chest of drawers in your own bath and then climbed on top of it to gain access to your loft.  Then, using a key to a fire door, you passed into [her] loft and then dropped through the hatch into her flat.  She had a dog in her flat and you kicked the dog, which had cuts to the front of its face.  Having locked the dog in her cage, you searched the flat, looking for money.  You took a knife from [her] kitchen and put it in her wardrobe…you found a roll of duct tape.  You fixed a blanket over a window, I infer to prevent anyone from seeing into the premises.  Then, you waited for [her] to return.”

“You then held the broken knife to her throat and told her to stop screaming, saying that, if she did not, you would kill her…during the rest of your dealings with her,  which continued for more than two hours, you repeatedly threatened that you would kill her.”

“You told her to get onto the bed.  You then cut her top and bra off using either a pair of scissors or a knife.  You cut the drawstring of her jeans and took them off.  You put her on her back and took her knickers off.  You then took all your own clothes off and tried to rape her.”

“You continued trying to rape her for about ten minutes, telling her to keep still.  While you were doing this, she was begging you to stop.  You responded by saying that you had worse things than a knife.  You said that you had acid and that, if she wanted to see what acid would do, you would throw it on her dog.”

The case received widespread media coverage:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12106517/Man-broke-womans-home-attic-attempted-rape-jailed-12-years.html

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/karan-pullock-jailed-rape-woman-home-hackney-london-met-police-crime-b1082515.html

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/22422661/sex-attacker-broke-woman-home-attic/