Screams as stranger bursts into house and sexually assaults lady and her mum
Matthew Nurse, 35, broke into a Scunthorpe home and attacked a pensioner before attempting to rape her daughter – a judge at Grimsby Crown Court branded him a danger to the public
The case was heard at Grimsby Crown court(Image: Donna Clifford/GrimsbyLive)
A complete stranger barged his way into a Scunthorpe home and tried to rape one woman whilst sexually assaulting her mother, a court was told. Their terrified screams prompted a neighbour to dial 999.
At Grimsby Crown Court, Judge Gurdial Singh branded the attacker a menace to society and sentenced him to 10-and-a-half years behind bars with an additional eight-year licence period owing to the substantial risk of further harm to the public.
Matthew Nurse, 35, of Normanby Road, Scunthorpe, pleaded guilty to attempted rape, wounding and sexual assault. He also admitted causing grievous bodily harm and assaulting a Humberside Police officer, reports Grimsby Live.
During police questioning, he claimed he had been headbutted by a stranger in the street and had sought shelter at the mother and daughter’s home.
However, prosecuting at Grimsby Crown Court, Craig Lowe revealed the elderly woman had settled down following her evening meal when Nurse smashed through the front door, snapping the chain lock.
The pensioner was set upon in the dining room, suffering punches and kicks to the head. Mr Lowe explained she bore marks on her hands from desperately trying to shield herself from the blows.
She cried out for her daughter. When the daughter rushed into the room, Nurse struck her on the head as she attempted to force him from the property.
The daughter tried to use objects to create distance between herself and her attacker, including a mop. Nurse then seized the mop and wielded it as a weapon against her. The woman managed to momentarily force him out, but he forced his way back in, the prosecutor, Mr Lowe, explained.
He threatened to “kill” her and demanded sex, before launching himself at her and tearing off her clothes. Both women sustained injuries during the attack.
The mother attempted to pull the attacker off her daughter, only to be attacked and sexually assaulted herself.
Mr Lowe recounted how the woman’s dog began barking loudly, prompting the attacker to threaten to kill the pet. However, thanks to an alert neighbour, police arrived swiftly and tried to apprehend Nurse.
He responded violently, attacking a female police officer. Following his arrest, Nurse informed the police that he had drunk two half-litre bottles of vodka that morning and claimed he had been assaulted near the home.
Initially, he denied the charges but later confessed. Mr Lowe stated that the traumatic incident left the mother and daughter suffering from anxiety and sleep loss.
Nurse, with 34 convictions for 73 offences, including an attempted arson in 2020 when he was caught with a lighter next to a fuel pump at a Grimsby petrol station, committed the attempted rape while on parole, the court heard. In mitigation, Michele Stuart-Lofthouse described her client as having a troubled past marked by a difficult upbringing and mental health issues.
The defence barrister referred to a “complicated myriad of issues.”
She stated he wanted to apologise for his behaviour. Throughout the court proceedings, he remained seated with his head lowered, whilst secured in handcuffs attached to a dock officer.
Judge Singh addressed Nurse: “You punched and kicked a pensioner on the ground in her own home. There is no doubt you are a danger to the public.”
Alongside sentencing Nurse to ten-and-a-half years imprisonment with an eight-year licence period, the judge also imposed an indefinite restraining order preventing him from approaching the road where the incident occurred or the victims.
The judge expressed gratitude to the daughter for her court attendance. “I can’t begin to imagine how you felt at the time. Nothing I say or do is going to make it better. Thank you for the courage you have shown in coming to court and for supporting the prosecution,” he added.
