Destiny Chigbue: Man jailed for attempted rape after offering woman £20 for sex in Northampton

Destiny Chigbue, 41, was given an extended sentence and four years in prison after he approached the woman in the Drapery on October 28, 2022 just after 11.30pm.

The woman refused and walked away but Chigbue followed her, grabbing her around the waist and asking for her number. She continued to refuse and shouted at him to go away.

But Chigbue got even more aggressive, attempting to pull her skirt down and exposing himself, ripping open her top and attempting to kiss her. Luckily, the woman managed to run away and escape. When she got to a place of safety, she called police to report the sexual assault and attempted rape.

Officers were deployed immediately and Chigbue was identified and arrested that night. He would later go on to be charged with one count of attempted rape, one count of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault and one count of attempted assault by penetration.

Following a trial at Northampton Crown Court which ended on March 13 this year, Chigbue was convicted by the jury on all counts aside from the attempted assault by penetration, of which he was found not guilty.

He returned to the same court on June 7 where he was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison. He was also classed as dangerous by Judge Rebecca Crane and given an extra four years on licence.

Lead investigator - Detective Constable John Cordner, said: “First of all, I want to pay tribute to the survivor in this case for her bravery. From the courage it took to call us in the first place, to the way she supported our investigation and the subsequent court process, she can be proud of the strength and resilience she has demonstrated.

“The ordeal she was subjected to at Chigbue’s hands was terrifying and I am so pleased that we have got justice for her. Though no sentence will erase the memories of her assault, I hope she can feel some sense of closure that the man who did this is now behind bars and unable to hurt anyone else.

"Northamptonshire Police is determined to continue tackling violence against women and girls. This involves not only working to make them safer, but also working to ensure they feel safer too. I hope this case demonstrates that aim and I want to reassure the public that we will not let up our work in this area.”