A man previously convicted of rape has been handed his third life sentence after he escaped from prison on a day release and attacked a woman. Neil Trennan, who failed to return from day release at North Sea Camp in Boston, Lincolnshire, in July last year, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court. Trennan was serving time at the category D prison for a 1991 rape case in Sheffield where he had used a weight lifting dumbbell to render his victim unconscious.
This was not the first time Trennan had escaped from custody. In 2002, he attacked a woman at Norwich City College during another unauthorized absence. Sheffield Crown Court heard that Trennan had a history of expressing arousal towards violence and non-consensual sex during his time in prison.
During his most recent escape, Trennan armed himself with a knife and followed a student into her home in Sheffield, attempting to assault her. Luckily, the woman was able to fight him off and lock herself in the bathroom before any further harm could be done. The judge, Jeremy Richardson KC, handed Trennan a third life sentence with a minimum term of 10 years, stating that it would likely never be safe to release him.
Judge Richardson criticized the decision to grant Trennan unsupervised release, emphasizing the danger he poses to women. He vowed to ensure that such oversights do not occur in the future, highlighting the extreme risks Trennan presents due to his violent tendencies.
Authorities have urged the public to be cautious as Trennan is considered dangerous and a potential threat to community safety.
