Man guilty of raping, attacking and robbing woman during brutal five-hour ordeal in Burnley
A 41-year-old man has been found guilty of carrying out a prolonged and violent sexual attack on a woman at her home in Burnley.
Bo Yang, of Winn Grove, Sheffield, was convicted at Preston Crown Court of two counts of rape, sexual assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, robbery and possession of a bladed article.
The court heard that shortly after 11pm on April 15, Yang attended the victim’s address and engaged her in conversation.
Following a disagreement over money, he produced a knife from his pocket and forced the woman next to a bed, using the blade to tear her clothing.
Yang then removed a metal bar from a bag he was carrying and repeatedly beat the victim before raping and sexually assaulting her.
Not satisfied with the attack, Yang restrained the woman using rope and tape, binding her and placing tape around her head. He then used the knife to slash her.
He went on to steal money and bank cards from the victim’s purse and attempted to transfer money to his own account using facial recognition on her mobile phone.
The woman managed to escape when Yang turned his back and fled to neighbours who contacted police at 3.46am, ending what prosecutors described as a five-hour ordeal.
Yang was identified through CCTV and forensic evidence, including fingerprints recovered from the tape used during the attack.
Police also obtained data from the WeChat messaging platform, which was described as a first for Lancashire officers and proved key to the case.
Following a trial, Yang was found guilty on all counts on Thursday, December 12.
He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Preston Crown Court on February 6.
Detective Constable Jodie Nolan, from Lancashire Police’s Burnley Rape and Serious Sexual Offence Team, said: “Yang is an extremely violent sexual predator who exposed his victim to a sustained and horrific ordeal.
“I would like to thank the jury for their considered verdicts and the investigation team, including DC Asad Mirdad, for obtaining the vital evidence which helped secure this conviction.”
Anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence can report it online or by calling police on 101.