Torquay attacker watched horror movie before rape bid

An attacker lurked in doorways watching a horror movie on his phone while he waited for a victim to rape, a court heard.

Kevin Foale, 49, from Kingsbridge, Devon was jailed for nine years after admitting the attempted rape of a woman walking home from a Torquay nightclub.

The father-of-three attacked her so savagely he knocked out her front teeth, Exeter Crown Court heard.

She was found later half naked, covered in blood and whispering "help me".

The court was told Foale watched a gang rape scene from a horror movie called Gutterballs as he hid waiting for a victim in The Terrace in the early hours of 20 January.

He imitated action from the film by removing his upper clothing during the attack, prosecutor Peter Coombe said.

The woman was found by pub workers walking home at about 02:10 GMT, Mr Coombe said.

Foale had fled but CCTV showed him returning to his car and he was traced from his number plate. Police found his blood-stained shirt near where he had parked his car.

Simon Burns, defending, said the attack was a "moment of complete madness" and "there had been no signs or signals at all".

Judge Peter Johnson, jailing Foale for nine years and three months, said it was a "brutal and sustained attack".

Det Insp Alexandra Doughty, from South Devon CID, said after the case the "very brave and resilient" woman would "continue to be supported by specialist officers as well as her friends and family".