🔴 KNIFE-WIELDING RAPIST JAILED FOR 23 YEARS AFTER BURNLEY ATTACK
A late-night visit spiralled into hours of violence as a Sheffield man carried out a brutal knife-point sexual assault, leaving police to piece together CCTV, forensics and digital evidence.
A man who carried out a sustained knife-point sexual attack on a woman in Burnley has been sentenced to a total of 23 years’ imprisonment following his conviction for rape and related offences, a court has heard.
Bo Yang, 41, was sentenced at Preston Crown Court on Friday after a jury found him guilty of two counts of rape, sexual assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, robbery and possession of a bladed article following a trial in December.
The court heard that Yang attended the woman’s address shortly after 11pm on April 15 last year and engaged her in conversation before a dispute arose over money. Prosecutors said Yang then produced a knife from his pocket, forced the woman towards a bed and used the weapon to tear her clothing.
Yang was said to have removed a metal bar from a bag he was carrying and used it to repeatedly strike the woman before raping and sexually assaulting her. The prosecution told the court that he later produced rope and tape from the same bag, tied the woman up and placed tape around her head before using the knife to cut her.
After the attack, Yang took items from the woman’s purse, including bank cards and cash, and attempted to transfer money into his own bank account by using facial recognition on her mobile phone, the jury was told.
The woman was able to escape the property when Yang turned his back and ran to neighbours, who contacted police at 3.46am. The court heard the incident lasted several hours.
In a statement read to the court, the woman described ongoing sleep disturbance and said her physical and mental health had been affected by the incident.
Yang was identified through CCTV and forensic examination, including fingerprints recovered from tape found at the scene. Jurors also heard that officers recovered digital evidence from WeChat, a Chinese-language messaging platform, which formed part of the prosecution case.
Yang, of Winn Grove, Sheffield, was arrested and charged following the investigation. After returning guilty verdicts on all counts, the jury was discharged.
Passing sentence, the judge imposed an extended sentence comprising 18 years in custody and a further five years on extended licence. Yang will be eligible to apply to the Parole Board in due course and is subject to deportation following his release, with the matter to be considered by the Home Office.
The judge commended the investigating officers for their work during the case.
Detective Constable Jodie Nolan, from Lancashire Police’s Rape and Serious Sexual Assault Team, said: “I welcome this significant custodial sentence given today. Yang is an extremely violent sexual predator who exposed his victim to a sustained ordeal. I would like to thank the jury for their guilty verdicts and the investigation team for securing the evidence which helped obtain this conviction.”
