Beast who tied up, blindfolded and raped girl, 16, finally brought to justice 29 years later
Victim 'overwhelmed' as David Mears, 60, jailed for life for the horrific attack
A WOMAN who was tied up and raped by a stranger 29 years ago saw him jailed for life.
The conviction was a cold case triumph as the offence took place when the victim was 16 in 1987.
DNA samples at the time were unable to give a match but when the case was revisited her attacker was finally snared.
She was napping on the sofa when David Mears, now 60, broke into her ground-floor flat.
He blindfolded her before dragging her to the bedroom where she was raped.
Over the years I got used to him not being caught... By the time I was in my early 30s I had given up hoping
The victim, who is now a mum, said: “I thought he was going to kill me.
"Over the years I got used to him not being caught.
"I just tried to get on with my life, but I suffer from depression.
“By the time I was in my early 30s I had given up hoping.”
When told of his arrest, she said: “I was overwhelmed.
"Justice is being done.
"I wasn’t making it up, it did happen, finally somebody has been caught for this.”
Mears, of Plymouth, pleaded guilty to rape, false imprisonment and indecent assault in Swindon.
He was jailed for life with a minimum of eight years at the town’s crown court.
Detective Sergeant Liz Coles, of the the Brunel Major Crime Investigation Team, said: "The victim has been our priority throughout the investigation —she has shown an admirable amount of courage and bravery in supporting the investigation to ensure justice is served.
"The events of 12 August, 1987, have undoubtedly had a devastating impact on her for the past 29 years but I hope today's sentencing helps bring some sort of closure on the ordeal — an ordeal which nobody should ever have to endure."