A university student and Heaton Rapist, Daniel Theobald, has received a two-year prison sentence for sexually abusing a woman. Daniel Theobald was presented before Teesside Crown Court last month following his assault on a 19-year-old student on October 16th of the previous year.
Daniel Theobald, 23, assaulted the woman on a footbridge near Camden Street, Shieldfield, in the early hours, causing her to fall before inappropriately touching her breasts and body, as reported by Chronicle Live.
The woman subsequently rushed to her lodging and informed security, who then alerted the police.
The court was informed that Daniel Theobald was returning home to Heaton following an evening with friends in Newcastle. His victim was walking to her student housing with a buddy, but they separated at John Dobson Street, after which she continued alone. Subsequently, Daniel Theobald assailed the student, having inadvertently pursued her outside the town limits.
Rachel Masters, prosecuting, said: “The defendant continued to follow her and the complainant was on her phone. She saw the defendant was behind her and was concerned she was being followed. The defendant was closing the gap between them.
“The defendant then grabbed her and put his hand around her waist, causing her to slip to the ground.”
The attack on the woman left her with psychological issues. In her victim statement, she said the attack made her depression and anxiety worse and was left with memories that left her feeling “paranoid and sick”. She also said she contemplated dropping out of university.
Daniel Theobald, of Burlington Gardens, Heaton, has no prior convictions. Rachel Hedworth, defending, said that Daniel Theobald had shown “utter, genuine remorse”, despite this attack being “horrendous” and “every girl’s nightmare”.
She said: “He was brought up in an incredibly loving, stable environment with close parents and siblings. Prior to this act, he has behaved in an exemplary way. He started to feel anxious and depressed at around 15 or 16 years old.”
Despite these feelings of depression at school, Daniel Theobald achieved A and A* grades as well as gaining a first class degree in history from Bristol University, where he also volunteered in a museum and was captain of a rugby team. He was said to have an “extremely hard work ethic”.
The court heard that Daniel Theobald worked in a marketing agency before moving back to Newcastle. The breakdown of a relationship and the death of his grandmother led to him drinking alcohol frequently. Ms. Hedworth said Daniel Theobald, who has autistic spectrum disorder, had “no proper recollection for what he did. It completely sickens him what took place.”
Judge Howard Crownson called the attack “moderately violent” and of causing “severe psychological harm” to the victim. He sentenced Daniel Theobald to two years in prison and placed him on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.
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