Justice 15 years later (From Penarth Times)

Justice 15 years later

A PENARTH man who attempted to rape an 83-year-old woman in her own home has been brought to justice 15 years after committing the crime, thanks to DNA evidence gathered following a traffic accident this year.

Timothy Pugh, aged 47, of Culver Close, is due to be sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court next week for an attempted rape committed in 1990, and two indecent assaults on females in Penarth and Barry in 1989 and 1990.

The attempted rape occurred on Berkley Drive, Penarth on April 8, 1990, when the 83-year-old victim was alone in her home.

She later moved away from the area and has since died.

Pugh, aged 32 at the time, forced his way into the house and subjected her to a terrifying assault.

A neighbour called on the victim causing Pugh to flee the scene and escape.

The vital piece of evidence that linked him to the crime was gathered following a road traffic collision in January.

After being charged with an offence in connection with the accident, Pugh gave a DNA sample that was compared with outstanding DNA crime scene evidence.

It provided an exact match to DNA found at the scene of the attempted rape, and Pugh was arrested on April 11.

In the face of overwhelming evidence, he confessed to the attempted rape and to two further indecent assaults on females in Penarth and Barry in 1989 and 1990.

He also admitted to several indecent exposures in the Berkley Drive lane area of Penarth during 1989 and 1990.

In 1990 Detective Inspector Dave Runnalls, the current head of Barry CID, was a Detective Constable working on the hunt for the attacker, codenamed Operation Moscow.

DI Runnalls said: "I think Pugh's sentencing will finally give all those involved closure, that justice has been done.

"Over the last few weeks, I have received many calls from officers who worked on the case 15 years ago but have now moved on and are working all over the country.

"They have all expressed their delight that this crime has been solved and Timothy Pugh has been bought to justice."

In 1990, technology for obtaining a DNA profile from evidence did not exist, but so many advances have been made in recent years that the piece of crucial evidence was able to be re-examined by the Forensic Science Service and a DNA profile obtained of the person responsible for the attack.

The technology provided police with Pugh's DNA, but he was not on the National DNA Database (NDNAD), so officers revisited the original list of suspects from 1990.