A male intruder, Jake Astley Oldham Sex Offender, who unlawfully entered an Oldham care facility to rape an elderly woman has been sentenced to imprisonment.
Jake Astley, residing at Sharples Hall Street, Oldham, made an appearance at Minshull Street Crown Court on Monday (July 31) following his admission of guilt for the charges of attempted rape and assault causing actual bodily injury in May.
Rachel Faux, the prosecution counsel, told the court that on January 1 of this year, Jake Astley, who is 22 years old, attempted to enter a care home in Oldham by forcefully kicking a door. Eventually, Astley obtained access by exploiting a defective door at approximately 2:30 am.
Three employees discovered Jake Astley’s unauthorised entry, but he vociferated and intimidated them while brandishing a butter knife, compelling the personnel to seek refuge and contact law enforcement.
Upon the arrival of the police, Jake Astley had barricaded himself within a resident’s room. However, the cops successfully obtained entry using a master key.
Upon their arrival, Jake Astley was discovered partially unclothed. At the same time, his elderly victim was found in bed with notable injuries to her head and face, including visible bruising and a laceration that resulted in blood.
According to the court, the victim is unable to communicate vocally and experiences both dementia and partial paralysis.
During the court proceedings, bodycam footage of the arrest was shown, in which Astley could be heard vehemently claiming that the victim had coerced him into committing the act.
During the police interrogation, Jake Astley admitted to consuming alcohol starting from 5 am the day before and also confessed to using cocaine, which resulted in him having no memory of the incident.
The victim’s granddaughter delivered a victim impact statement in court, expressing that the victim was once “content” but has since become “reclusive” and has lost the ability to consume nourishment, resulting in hospitalisation.
The woman expressed that the day she visited the victim in the hospital would leave a lasting impression of trauma on her for the whole of her life.
She stated: “Jake Astley has not only devastated the life of my grandmother, but also the lives of myself and my family.”
“I believe it will be impossible for me to recover from the psychological distress caused by this experience fully.”
Stuart Neale, the defence attorney, said that Astley was experiencing a psychotic episode throughout the incident and was completely unaware of his actions due to being heavily intoxicated.
According to him, Jake Astley experiences profound and authentic regret and now has a strong aversion towards himself due to his conduct, which he characterised as “horrible”. Additionally, he mentioned that Astley has openly shared ideas of self-harm.
According to Mr. Neale, Jake Astley’s history of alcohol and drug abuse started during his adolescent years. Mr. Neale described Astley’s adolescence as very challenging, stating that it would be hard to envision a more terrible one.
An assessment from a psychiatric evaluation indicated that Astley had a documented background of mental illness.
During the sentencing, Judge Bernadette Baxter stated that the assessment had concluded that Astley was not experiencing a psychotic episode at the time of the occurrence.
Judge Baxter expressed to Jake Astley: “Your actions have undeniably caused immense harm to the victim’s last years and have had a profound impact on her entire family during this period.”
“The repercussions of your transgression will have a lasting impact on them indefinitely.”
Judge Baxter imposed a sentence of 10.5 years of imprisonment on Astley. He must serve at least two-thirds of this term before being eligible for consideration by a parole board for release. Additionally, Astley will be subject to a three-year extended licence period.
Astley was also required to be listed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.
Detective Constable Sharon Harper of GMP’s Oldham area expressed gratitude to the victim, her loved ones, and the care home staff for their unwavering support during our investigations. The heinous atrocities done by Jake Astley on that night were horrifying. Undoubtedly, this investigation was lengthy and caused significant grief for both the victim and her close relatives.
Jake Astley, while intoxicated with drugs and alcohol, managed to enter the premises and audaciously and consciously walked around the care home to engage in criminal activities despite the presence of vulnerable adults.
He endangered the residents and staff of the care home by threatening them with a knife and pursuing them in their workplace or home. Additionally, he committed heinous crimes against a defenceless elderly woman.
Jake Astley deliberately entered the victim’s bedroom, used her weaknesses, and proceeded to physically and sexually assault her. The atrocities he committed are incredibly disgusting, and his complete absence of sorrow for the victim and her well-being is utterly shameful. Astley is a dangerous man who entirely merits the issued sentence.
“We acknowledge that the occurrence of this case in an assisted living/care home setting may raise concerns among the local community.”
“We want to reassure the public that occurrences like these are uncommon, and we are actively cooperating with local authorities, care homes, and support organisations to enhance the protection and support provided to vulnerable individuals and residents. This collaboration includes the Greater Manchester Police.”
“This case exemplifies the gravity with which Greater Manchester Police address reports of sexual assaults, including those perpetrated against women and girls.” We will place our trust in you; we will provide our assistance and we will exert all efforts to ensure that the perpetrator is held accountable through legal means.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.