An Italian teenager who sexually assaulted a vulnerable pensioner on her doorstep in the Black Country has been jailed for 12 months. Lorenzo Bennin was just 17 when he targeted the woman in her 70s outside her home in September 2018. The victim, who used a walker due to mobility issues, initially chatted with Bennin after he claimed to be lonely.
Attack on vulnerable woman
Bennin followed the woman down her garden path and asked "do you want sex?" before pushing open her front door. He then sexually assaulted her over her clothing in her porch, with the victim shouting for help from neighbours. The attack took place in the Black Country, and the victim, who used a walker due to mobility issues, was targeted outside her own home.
Flight to Italy and arrest
The attacker fled to Italy immediately after the assault in a bid to escape justice. He was only caught seven years later when he returned to the UK for another holiday, wrongly believing police were no longer looking for him. Bennin, now 25 and of Milton Keynes, admitted sexual assault and must also sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.
Court hears of lasting impact
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how the victim continues to feel "insecure and frightened" in her own home. Judge Jonathan Gosling said Bennin "plainly targeted this particularly vulnerable lady" and noted the lasting psychological impact. Judge Gosling told him: "What you did to that old lady has changed her life really."
The sentence of 12 months imprisonment was handed down at Wolverhampton Crown Court. Bennin will also be required to sign the sex offenders register for a period of 10 years. The case highlights the lasting impact of such attacks on victims, who may continue to feel insecure and frightened in their own homes long after the incident.
