Man who targeted and attacked women walking in Manchester City Centre jailed for over 4 years
Robert Emmerson, a 40-year-old man from Thirlmere Avenue, has been sentenced to four years and six months in prison for sexually assaulting and indecently exposing himself to young women in Manchester City Centre between November 2023 and April 2024. He was found guilty of five counts of sexual assault and seven counts of indecent exposure following a trial at Manchester Crown Court. Emmerson targeted lone women, attacking them in broad daylight near the Mancunian Way underpass. The investigation involved extensive CCTV review, public assistance, and victim identification, leading to his arrest in April 2024.
A sexual predator who stalked and attacked lone women in Manchester city centre has been jailed for four-and-a-half years after a jury unanimously convicted him of a string of assaults and indecent exposures.
Robert Emmerson, 40, of Thirlmere Avenue, targeted victims in broad daylight beneath the Mancunian Way underpass between November 2023 and April 2024, grabbing them from behind in a “bear hug” before pinning them to the ground and groping them. Manchester Crown Court heard how Emmerson would catch the bus from Wythenshawe to the city centre, circle the area searching for victims, then flee back to the suburbs after each attack.
Detectives pieced together the pattern of offending after multiple women reported similar assaults, combing through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage that showed the same man arriving and leaving the scene. When police released images to the public seeking his identity, tip-offs from several members of the public led to Emmerson’s arrest at his Wythenshawe home on 22 April 2024, where officers recovered the distinctive grey coat with black collar he wore during the attacks.
“The investigation team worked tirelessly to get this case to court,” said Detective Constable Tamsyn Muller of GMP’s Longsight Criminal Investigation Department. “Emmerson targeted lone women and was so brazen that he attacked them in the daytime, not caring if people passing by could hear or see him committing his crimes.” Five victims identified Emmerson during an identity parade, and despite his refusal to answer police questions and not-guilty plea, the jury convicted him on all 12 counts. He received a Sexual Harm Prevention Order with lifetime restrictions.
Source: Read original article