Court told: 'I thought I was going to die'

UK -- A young businesswoman thought she was going to die when she was attacked by a Milton Keynes man near her home.

Ghanaian-born illegal immigrant Daniel Daffour, aged 26, of Brent, Tinkers Bridge, followed his 23-year-old victim to her flat in Southwark, London, and forced himself on her.

Daffour throttled her, leaving horrific marks on her neck, Blackfriars Crown Court heard last Friday.

Constance Brisco, prosecuting, said the woman bravely fought back, poking him in the eyes while he tried to tear her trousers off.

He fled when a neighbour stumbled across the attack on the night of September 29, 2005.

Using DNA found under the woman's fingernails, Daffour, who used a string of aliases and false identities, was traced by detectives and was eventually arrested in a nightclub in Milton Keynes in July last year.

Daffour denied attempted rape, sexual assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm but was convicted by a jury.

The victim, who was in court to see her attacker sentenced, told them: "I thought I was going to die."

Judge Deborah Taylor gave Daffour an indefinite sentence for the public's protection and ordered he serve two and a half years before being considered for early release.

"Your assault and attempt to rape her was only stopped by her bravery in fighting you off," she said, adding that Daffour should be deported at the end of his sentence.