It was the characteristic stride of a Nottingham, UK rapist accused of sexually abusing a young girl in a dark alley who landed him behind bars after being accidentally spotted on the street by police.
“When the officer saw the CCTV footage the day before, he immediately noticed the characteristic gait style [l’accusé] and his high, square shoulders,” Nottingham Police said, according to The Guardian on Wednesday.
Shane Nash, 39, was sentenced last week to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 15 years for dragging and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl on her way home down a dark alley near a school.
“Shut up or I’ll stab you,” he allegedly told her, taped her mouth shut and handcuffed her wrists, the court heard.
Surveillance camera footage nevertheless captured the person with the odd gait, who would have been accidentally identified by an officer just two days later while walking down the street with a friend.
The man, who was also wearing the same clothes and had in his bag a black hat described by the victim and a red sleeping bag, was arrested on the spot.
But despite “irrefutable” DNA evidence linking him directly to the crime, the 30-year-old would have denied his actions and shown “absolutely no remorse” before finally pleading guilty in March, the case officer reported Investigator Craig Saal.
“It was a horrific crime that shocked and appalled the local community. Nash’s behavior, on the other hand, was consistently appalling. […] He will now spend a lot of time in prison, thanks in large part to the officer’s excellent police work,” he commented.