A MARRIED father aged 56 broke into a frail 89-year-old woman’s bungalow - then threw her to the floor and raped her.
Anthony Borrowdale has been jailed for 13-and-a-half years for the horrifying attack in which he smashed a bedroom window, climbed inside, and turned off the lights so the victim could not identify him.
The terrified pensioner cried and shouted for help as Borrowdale subjected her to the sex attack, but nobody heard her cries, Sheffield Crown Court heard.
The vulnerable pensioner suffers a multitude of health problems including Parkinson’s Disease.
The court heard Borrowdale - who has a wife and daughter - had gone off the rails after his marriage broke down, and he was seen acting bizarrely in his neighbourhood.
He had knocked on his windows at passing schoolchildren, urinated out of his bedroom window, and burped out of his letterbox.
He was arrested for flashing at schoolgirls at a bus stop 18 months ago, but the case was dropped due to lack of evidence.
Speaking after Borrowdale was jailed for rape, Det Con Chris Horsley of Barnsley CID said: “It was a horrific crime. Even his own defence barrister acknowledged he is a dangerous man.
“We believe the lady was specifically targeted. He targeted her because of her vulnerability.”
Rachael Harrison, prosecuting, said the 89-year-old woman was housebound and communicated by writing things down. On the day of the attack, on May 31, she had been visited by carers who left her watching television. The incident is believed to have happened at around 11.10pm.
Afterwards the distressed victim knocked on her neighbour’s door at midnight, but was unable to communicate what had happened to her.
She eventually managed to activate her personal alarm at 12.43am, and call centre staff contacted the emergency services.
Borrowdale, of Copeland Road, Wombwell, Barnsley, was arrested two days later after forensic and fingerprint evidence was recovered from the scene.
He admitted rape.
The court heard he had numerous previous convictions dating back to 1973 for dishonesty and violent offences, but none for sexual matters.
Ian Brook, defending, said it was a ‘heinous’ offence and Borrowdale understood the gravity of the crime and had expressed a degree of remorse.
But Borrowdale denied specifically targeting his victim because of her age or vulnerability.
Judge Jeremy Baker QC told Borrowdale: “You knew at the least by the time you entered her property that she was a highly vulnerable individual because of her age and physical infirmities.
“Those who are subject to such an ordeal are unlikely to forget it and the psychological damage will be profound and long-lasting.”
After the hearing it emerged Borrowdale had been in contact with a local mental health team but it was not deemed necessary to offer him treatment.
Neighbours regarded him as a ‘nuisance’ and he had dumped rubbish and a mattress in their gardens.
One resident said: “We reported him to the council and police within two months of him moving here.
“If they had listened to us this probably wouldn’t have happened.”