Andrew Pennington, 62, pleaded guilty at an earlier court date to attempted rape, indecent assault, burglary and burglary with intent to steal, the majority of which relate to an incident 1998. He has now been sentenced to 14 years behind bars following an appearance at Hull Crown Court Wednesday.
The offence took place in Beverley in the early hours of July 23, 1998. Pennington entered the victim’s home sometime after she had returned from work, jumped out and attacked her, trying to remove her clothing and threatening her with rape and violence. A lodger at the address returned home, and Pennington fled the scene, initially pursued by the lodger who eventually lost sight of him. At the time, an investigation was opened but due to forensic limitations, no suspect was identified.
Officers from the Major Crime Review Team re-examined the case in September 2025 to establish if there were any new evidential leads as result of developments in forensics techniques.
The team looked into Pennington’s previous convictions and found in 2018, he had been convicted and sentenced for a rape that had occurred in 1988 in North Yorkshire. Pennington’s DNA had also been identified at the scene of three domestic burglaries in Humberside from 1997. He had been interviewed and admitted the burglaries and was later convicted.
Detectives identified similarities in his pattern of offending, which appeared to be sexually motivated.
Following a forensic review, DNA was identified from samples recovered from clothing worn by the victim, which was a match to Pennington.
Pennington was interviewed in March 2026 and admitted to the attempted rape and burglary in 1998. Along with a second burglary which occurred in 1997, in which he forced entry to a property and stole underwear, cash and photographs from inside.
“Pennington is a sexual predator who broke into a woman’s home and attacked her, thinking only of his own sick sexual desires," said Detective Constable Eleanor Henrickson.“While prosecution was originally not an option due to a lack of evidence, I am pleased that justice has now been served, and he is back behind bars. "I hope this case sends a stark message to anyone who has committed an offence and thinks they have got away with it. We will keep searching and we will do everything in our power to hold you accountable for your crimes. Nobody should be made to feel unsafe in their own home and I want to praise the victim for her courage in coming forward and her patience over the years, I hope that today’s result gives her some sense of justice. I also want to encourage any victims of sexual offences, no matter how long ago they happened, to please come forward. We will listen and we will support you.”
If you have been a victim of a sexual offence, or suspect someone you know has, please report it to us, a trusted adult, or an appropriate support agency. You will be listened to and, working alongside partner agencies, we will continue to take action against anyone who commits sexual offences. If you’re not ready to make a formal report to police yet, you can speak to specialist support networks and organisations privately and confidentially before you call us. They can talk you through the criminal process and offer advice about reporting both recent and non-recent crimes of this nature to us.
Republished courtesy of Humberside Police (UK)