Trevor Lawlor jailed for raping woman in front of her toddler son

Lawlor has been given a life term for the rape

Trevor Lawlor has been jailed for life (PA)

A man who sexually attacked two women in front of their young children has been given a life term for rape.

Trevor Lawlor, 32, raped one of his victims in view of her son, who was just a toddler, a jury at Manchester Crown court heard.

He was only prevented from raping the other woman when her boyfriend unexpectedly returned to the house.

Before he raped her, Lawlor shouted to the baby: "This is all your mother is worth", and: "This is what your f****** mother deserves."

Lawlor, a resident of Tetlow Street, Manchester, was also jailed in Ireland in 2004 for raping a woman in “chillingly similar circumstances,” a jury heard.

Sentencing Lawlor, who is originally from Dublin, Ireland, Judge Hilary Manley said: "I am convinced that you have a hatred for women and a need to use, degrade and humiliate them.

"Put simply, I am wholly satisfied you pose a dangerous and substantial risk to the public, particularly women and children."

In the early hours of 10 July 2015, Lawlor broke in to a home in Newton Heath, Manchester and woke his victim while she was in bed lying next to her young son.

He threatened to slit the woman's throat if they made a noise and then removed his clothing before his victim's partner returned.

Following a struggle in the bedroom, Lawlor fled the scene in his underwear and T-shirt and knocked on the door of a woman who lived nearby.

Known to the defendant, the woman let him in after he told her he had been kidnapped and needed to escape his attackers.

Justin Hayhoe, prosecuting, said the complainant's charity was repaid in a "shocking manner" with a violent and gratuitous assault on her while her toddler son was in her arms.

Lawlor - under the influence of alcohol and drugs - repeatedly punched her to the head and face as his victim eventually feigned unconsciousness, as she believed she she was going to be killed, said the prosecutor.

The badly beaten woman managed to escape and alert a neighbour, who only recognised her by her voice.

The neighbour then went to retrieve the baby who was also blood-soaked and appeared to be traumatised and "in a daze".

Judge Manley told Lawlor he had "stolen the innocence" of his first victim's son, who witnessed the entire episode, while "only time will tell" what psychological impact had been caused to the second victim's son.

Lawlor, of Failsworth, was arrested in Manchester city centre later the same day of the attacks and made no comment to detectives.

He went on to plead guilty at earlier hearings to rape, attempted rape, assault by penetration, wounding with intent to cause grievious bodily harm, trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence and making a threat to kill.

Lawlor was given a life term for the rape and concurrent sentences for the other offences.

Additional reporting by Press Association