'Every woman's living nightmare': 'Night-stalker' rapist jailed for more than 10 years

Clive Howard waged a 'campaign of sexual offences over many years'. Photo / Norfolk Police

One of the victims of a "night-stalker" rapist waived her right to anonymity to confront her attacker and accuse him of making her body feel worthless - amid fears that he could have targeted dozens more women.

Clive Howard, 57, was jailed for 10 years and three months yesterday after admitting seven counts of rape, three of kidnap and one of attempted rape against six women over nearly 30 years.

Since then, 15 more women have contacted police to say they may have been targeted by the mechanic from Stowmarket, Suffolk.

Judge Stephen Holt described Howard as "every woman's living nightmare" who waged a "campaign of sexual offences over many years" as he sentenced him at Norwich Crown Court.

Waiving the right to anonymity, Jessica Howard, who is no relation to the defendant, addressed her attacker in court as she said: "To describe the ramifications of you raping me is impossible." She went on: "Because of you, my body is now worthless to me. You took away my control and because of you my body is now an inanimate object with no worth. I wanted to throw up as I recounted what you did to me."

The convicted rapist cried what the judge dismissed as "crocodile tears" as Ms Howard, 23, said: "I had to see my mother's face as she looked at her only daughter after she had been violated in the worst possible way." The rape has made it "impossible for me to enjoy moments of happiness," and "literally darkens every piece of joy I have," she added.

The student, who has struggled with an eating disorder, self-harm and anxiety since the rape, is one of at least six women who Howard raped or tried to kidnap between 1986 and 2014.

He was caught after raping Ms Howard in Norwich last May, when police managed to trace his car using CCTV footage. Subsequent investigations, including matches from DNA samples, linked him to attacks on other women in Norfolk and Cambridge stretching back almost 30 years.

Howard was a loner who had lived with his parents in Suffolk since the breakdown of his marriage 15 years ago. The father of six, who had an 82-year-old girlfriend at the time of his arrest last May, went on dating websites and would drive around the streets looking for prostitutes. He would attack his victims at night after stopping to offer them a lift in his car.

Jude Durr, mitigating, said Howard was ashamed of his crimes and felt genuine remorse. He said: "He recognises he should have asked for help a long time ago."

Detective Sergeant Chris Burgess, from Norfolk Police, said: "Howard is an extremely dangerous sexual predator and I am under no illusion that more women would have been attacked had he not been caught. The life sentence demonstrates the seriousness of his actions; Howard would prey on women walking alone at night and there is no doubt the streets are a safer place with Howard in prison."

He added: "There is concern that there are further victims out there and we would encourage anybody who believes they were attacked by him to come forward."

And Laura Richards, of the Paladin National Stalking Advocacy Service, said: "Howard is a predatory stalker and most predatory stalking is sexually motivated." She added: "No doubt there are many more victims who have been targeted."

- The Independent