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A 25-year-old man has been sentenced to 21 years after being convicted of two offences of attempted rape and also one of sexual assault and one of common assault, all occurring in Ipswich and against two separate victims.
Adiley Pires refused to appear for his sentencing at Ipswich Crown Court, today Wednesday 20 December, but was sentenced in his absence by Judge Peters to 21 years, comprising 15 years imprisonment together with an extended licence period of 6 years. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.
Pires, of Kensington Road in Ipswich, had been found guilty of the crimes on Thursday 26 October, following a nine-day trial.
He had stood accused of four offences in total: one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault in connection with an incident on 17 October 2021; and one count of attempted rape and one count of assault by beating, in connection with an incident on 8 December 2022.
Pires, of Kensington Road in Ipswich, had been found guilty of the crimes on Thursday 26 October, following a nine-day trial.
He had stood accused of four offences in total: one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault in connection with an incident on 17 October 2021; and one count of attempted rape and one count of assault by beating, in connection with an incident on 8 December 2022.
Pires admitted the charge of assault by beating but denied the other three offences.
The first attack occurred between 3.10am and 3.20am on Sunday 17 October 2021, in the courtyard area of the apartment building called Foundry, The Mill, in College Street.
The victim – a woman who was aged 18 at the time of the incident - was walking along the Ipswich waterfront from the direction of Stoke Bridge, where she was approached by Pires who tried to make conversation with her and then touched her bottom.
The victim told him in strong terms to leave her alone and as she has tried to get away from him, Pires proceeded to chase her into the courtyard area of Foundry, The Mill.
At this point, Pires pushed the woman into a flower planter and attempted to lift up her dress, but she began to scream as loud she could for help and got the attention of some residents in the building, who then shouted at Pires from the balconies above and he then ran away.
The victim had been out that evening at a nightclub in Cardinal Park and as part of the police investigation, CCTV from inside the nightclub was viewed and found Pires had been watching her as she left the building and is then captured on further CCTV cameras following her across Cardinal Park and then onwards to the waterfront area.
Following a media appeal issuing Pires’ image from the nightclub, he was positively identified and subsequently arrested six days later on Saturday 23 October and taken into custody for questioning.
Detectives sought charging advice for the offence of attempted rape, but following a review of the evidence available at that point in time, the Crown Prosecution Service determined that further evidence was required before the charging threshold was met.
As such Pires was then released on bail, with conditions to surrender his passport and to adhere to a curfew between 7pm and 6am daily. This would require him to present himself to any police officer attending his home address to conduct checks.
The most recent attack occurred at approximately 11.40pm on Thursday 8 December on the river towpath near Tower Mill Road.
The victim, a 17-year-old girl, had walked onto the towpath in Yarmouth Road and was walking in the direction of Tower Mill Road, when she was approached from behind by Pires, who grabbed her and put her on the ground.
Pires then covered the victim’s mouth and hit her whilst pulling at her leggings. The victim was trying to fight him off and managed to call out for help, gaining the attention of nearby residents who shouted at Pires and he then ran away.
Following CCTV enquiries and due to the similarities with the incident in October 2021, Pires was raised as a suspect and was a positive match to a male identified as being present in the relevant locations at the time of the attack. He was then arrested on Thursday 15 December and subsequently charged the next day.
During the trial he denied the attacks were sexually motivated, but the jury dismissed this argument and found him guilty of all counts by a unanimous decision.
Detective Inspector James Cassedy, the Senior Investigating Officer, said: “Adiley Pires is a predator. He preyed on lone females who were simply trying to walk home after a night out and our streets are now undeniably safer with him locked up.
“In both cases, he tracked the victims’ movements and followed them to a point that he presumably thought was isolated enough for him to attack them.
“What he hadn’t accounted for was that both of these individuals would fight back and call for help. I want to pay tribute to their bravery – not just whilst being attacked, but in then sitting down and speaking with our officers afterwards and doing all they could to help us catch him.
“I also want to thank the members of the public who came to their assistance in both cases. Not only did they help to scare Pires off, they also took care of the victims and waited with them until the police arrived.
“Targeting perpetrators of sexual assault and violence against women and girls is a priority for Suffolk Constabulary – we will not tolerate it and will continue to do work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice.”
Anyone who would like to speak to someone in confidence about sexual abuse or violence can contact Suffolk Police on 101, or staff at The Ferns on 0300 1235058, or via email: [email protected] or online at: https://www.theferns-suffolk.org.uk
Further information, support and advice is also available from the following groups:
www.survivorsintransition.co.uk Survivors in Transition - Specialist support in Suffolk for female and male survivors of childhood sexual abuse, violence and exploitation
www.fsnb.org.uk Fresh Start – New Beginnings, provides a therapeutic service for children and young people up to 21 years who have reported being sexually abused and to offer support for their families.
www.suffolkrapecrisis.org.uk Suffolk Rape Crisis – Support service open to females aged 14 or above who needs support following a rape or sexual assault.