'Dangerous' pervert held knife to Leeds sex worker's face and ordered her to strip
A pervert with a history of sex offences held a knife to a sex worker’s throat after convincing her to follow him.
Sick Ian Long was told by the judge at Leeds Crown Court this week that he deemed him to be a “dangerous” offender who had refused to undergo probation and psychiatric assessments.
He was handed a prison sentence of more than four years.
The court was told that Long had approached the sex worker at around 5am on August 16 this year.
She had been stood on the corner of Fairfax Road and Cemetery Road, near to the Imperial pub, prosecutor Robert Galley told the court.
Long told her he had crack cocaine to share with her and made suggestions about paying for sexual services.
She followed him but as they got off the street and into a secluded area, he became aggressive, grabbing her by the the throat and digging his fingers into her neck.
He pulled out the large kitchen knife and held it to her face, demanding she take off her clothes.
She eventually managed to push him off and she ran into a nearby park and hide before calling the police.
She later picked out the 60-year-old from an identity parade. The knife was also found in his wardrobe.
Long appeared in court this week from HMP Leeds, where he was being held on remand. He admitted charges of strangulation, ABH and possession of a bladed article.
He also admitted breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) that he received in 2017 for sexually assaulting two women in public.
The court was told that Long, who is now homeless, also has previous convictions for exposure.
Mitigating, Emily Hassell conceded that Long had an “unattractive record”, but should be given appropriate credit for his guilty pleas.
Judge Christopher Batty told Long: “It was a random attack on a lone and vulnerable female.
“You were armed with a fearsome-looking knife. Clearly you have no legitimate purpose for a knife in a public place.”
He told him that his actions were to “satisfy his sexual desires”.
He jailed Long for 49 months.