Home News North East News

Sunderland park rapist finally pays for crime

Nov 15 2009 by Coreena Ford, Sunday Sun

Police reveal to William Stanley Bates that DNA links him to a rape

“YOU’LL never find out who I am.”

Those are the chilling words rapist William Stanley Bates spat at his devastated victim, after carrying out a brutal attack on her in a public park.

Yet this picture captures the moment when his past finally catches up with him, almost two decades after he dragged the woman into Barnes Park in Sunderland.

Thanks to the wonders of modern science and DNA profiling, police were finally able to find out who the attacker was, and William Bates was brought to justice . . . and all he could bleat out was a shocked “Pardon?”.

Bates is now behind bars, yet had police reopened his case a year after they did he may never have been caught, due to changes in rules surrounding DNA storage.

Last Wednesday, the Home Office announced the DNA of most innocent people arrested in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be destroyed after six years, in line with a European Court of Human Rights’ ruling.

Bates was 22 when he raped the woman, who was in her 20s at the time, after abducting her from the street during the early hours of June 12, 1990.

She was left with injuries all over her body following the attack and Bates left his DNA at the scene of the crime . . . but at the time it was not enough to identify the twisted attacker.

Keep up to date with the news. Sign up for News Alerts

Have your say on the latest news and sport in our Forums

Site Tools