Creepy stalker seen tracking woman through city centre at 6am before attacking her is jailed
This is the chilling moment a man holding a knife is seen 'hunting' a terrified teenager before attacking her - in what police say was like ''a scene from the TV show Luther''.
CCTV shows Peter Hills tracking the 19-year-old victim along a city centre and towards her house in the early hours before grabbing and threatening to kill her.
Disturbed Hills followed his victim for several minutes from a coach station before attacking her near a park in Plymouth, Devon.
Hills, 26, claimed he was a victim of mistaken identity at a trial in Plymouth Crown Court in June, but was quickly convicted.
Following psychiatric reports, he has now been sentenced to seven years in prison with an extended licence of four years.
Speaking after the case, DC Nathan Drew said: “This was an extremely disturbing case involving a stranger-attack on a lone female in a dark, deserted city centre.
“The victim was in the wrong place at the wrong time, having just returned to Plymouth from Italy.
“Chilling CCTV footage, reminiscent of a scene from the TV show Luther, shows she was hunted through the streets of Plymouth, until she reached a secluded spot and was attacked.”
The trial heard how the victim had returned from a Christmas break when she was attacked on January 2.
Brian Fitzherbert, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said she left the main coach station in Plymouth at about 6am.
The barrister showed the jury CCTV of a man following the woman a few metres behind through dark and deserted streets.
She said one hand suddenly appeared over her shoulder and she saw the other holding a kitchen knife about six or seven inches long.
The 19-year-old described how the blade was held a few inches from her chest.
Mr Fitzherbert put her statement to her and she confirmed that the man said “I have to kill you” several times.
The witness added that she could not recall how long the stranger had held her.
But she said that she screamed and he ran away.
Homeless Hills was arrested ten days after the offence sleeping in a subway at North Cross.
He was wearing clothes similar to that of the attacker on January 2.
