Rapist Who 'Enjoyed Violent Sex' Gets Third Life Sentence After Prison Escape
Convicted sex offender Neil Trennan has been sentenced to life in prison for the third time after he absconded from day release and attacked a woman. The 61-year-old failed to return to HMP North Sea Camp in Boston, Lincolnshire, in July last year, sparking a major manhunt.
History of Violence and Escapes
Trennan was originally handed a life sentence in 1991 for raping a woman in Sheffield, having knocked her unconscious with a weightlifting dumbbell. He previously absconded from jail in 2002 and attacked a woman in a toilet at Norwich City College. This latest incident occurred during his second day release in over a decade of incarceration.
Sheffield Crown Court heard that Trennan had repeatedly confessed to parole boards that he was aroused by violence and "enjoyed violent, non-consensual sex." Despite this, he was placed in the category D open prison, which is reserved for low-risk inmates deemed safe to live in open conditions.
The Attack and Sentencing
In July last year, while on unsupervised day release, Trennan travelled to Sheffield, followed a student into her home, and attacked her while armed with a knife. The woman managed to knock the knife from his hand and lock herself in the bathroom. Judge Jeremy Richardson KC stated that if she had not fought him off, Trennan would have subjected her to a violent rape.
On Wednesday, Judge Richardson handed Trennan a third life sentence with a minimum term of 10 years, but emphasised that it would likely never be safe to release him. The judge criticised the decision to grant Trennan unsupervised release, calling it "very unwise" given his known history.
Judge Richardson said, "This is an appalling case of history repeating itself and of insufficient heed being taken of that history when you were placed in open prison conditions. That must never happen again. As I have stated, you pose immense and enduring dangers to women of acute violence and associated sexual depravity. No woman is safe whilst ever you remain at large."
Official Response and Concerns
The judge added that he had received no adequate explanation for the decision to allow Trennan's release and would send his sentencing remarks to the Lord Chancellor, who "may demand one." At the time of Trennan's disappearance last July, Detective Inspector Dave Penney warned, "Trennan is a dangerous individual; we need to find him as soon as possible. He is a convicted rapist and may pose a real danger to members of the public."
This case highlights ongoing concerns about the management of high-risk offenders in open prison conditions and the potential for repeated offenses when violent histories are not adequately considered.
