Chilling moment predator stalked woman before raping her – then played the Good Samaritan and lied to police that he’d seen her attacker flee the scene

This is the chilling moment a rapist was caught on CCTV stalking his victim before launching his vile attack.

Frankie Mann raped the woman on a pavement in St Austell, Cornwall then pretended to be a Good Samaritan and lied to police that he had seen her attacker fleeing the scene.

He offered to help by lying that he had seen the woman screaming and being dragged down a lane by a fictional man, whose details were starkly different from his own, in a bid to ‘control the narrative’.

At Truro Crown Court last week, Mann, 27, pleaded guilty to rape and was jailed for nine years. 

CCTV footage was recovered by detectives which showed the victim walking along Alexandra Road in the early hours of May 29. In the footage, Mann is also seen riding up and down the road, staying close to the victim. Then he is seen waiting for her at the end of the road.

While still on Alexandra Road, Mann pulled the victim to the ground and raped her. After committing the rape, Mann told the victim that he had somewhere to be and left the scene.

Frankie Mann raped the woman on a pavement in St Austell, Cornwall then pretended to be a Good Samaritan and lied to police that he had seen her attacker fleeing the scene 

The victim had been on a night out with friends in St Austell on May 28. She set off to go home but realised she didn’t have her house keys.

Heading back into town, she was approached by a man on a motorbike. He offered to help find her keys, putting his jacket around her while riding up and down the road in an apparent search for them.

Detective Constable Shaun Greenaway said: ‘While the victim was reporting the incident to officers at the front desk, the local sergeant, having heard the report, was reminded of an incident reported to police in the early hours of 29th May which was a report of a motorbike weaving between pedestrians on a pavement while going back and forth along a one-way system.

‘This was less than a mile from the scene of the rape. The number plate taken by the witnesses came back to Mann, which put him in the area at the time of the offence.’

Detective Constable Greenway said that the ‘most chilling’ aspect of the case is the fact that Mann had approached officers at the cordon of the rape scene to say that he had been driving on Alexander Road between 1.30am and 2.30am on 29th May and saw a woman screaming as she was dragged down a lane by a man.

At Truro Crown Court last week, Mann pleaded guilty to rape and was jailed for nine years 

He added: ‘He also gave a full description of the man he reported to have seen.

‘Not only did he place himself at the scene at the time of the rape, but incredibly, he reported that he saw a woman being attacked and chose not to intervene or call the police.

‘His description was vastly different from that of the victim’s, and instead suggested an attempt to control a narrative.’

Prosecutor Heather Hope told the court he ‘pounced on her’ and raped her as she lay ‘frozen with fear’ with his hand over her mouth.

The victim told the court she felt ‘numb, repulsed, dirty and humiliated’. ‘That night killed me inside,’ she said.

Ms Hope said Mann posed as a ‘Good Samaritan’ who gave the victim a false sense of security.

Judge Simon Carr said the effect on the victim had been ‘catastrophic’. ‘You targeted and stalked this individual,’ he said. ‘You pretended to assist her.’

Mann will be placed on the Sex Offender Register for life.

Detective Constable Greenaway said: ‘I would like to take this opportunity to commend the victim for her bravery and courage in coming forward to police to report this crime. We worked quickly to piece together elements of this incident with other reports we had received which led us to the swift arrest of Frankie Mann.

‘Those investigative leads, together with forensic work carried out, resulted in a strong case – one which gave Mann little choice but to plead guilty.

‘This was a horrendous crime which had a lasting effect on the victim. I am pleased that this sentence means that the wider public are now not at risk from Mann. We would encourage anyone who has experienced sexual abuse to come forward to either police of partner agencies to report and seek support.’

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