'Night Stalker' given life for multiple sex attacks

The burglar and serial sex attacker known as the Night Stalker was jailed for life yesterday after carrying out a 17-year reign of terror.

Delroy Grant, a former minicab driver, was found guilty of preying on 18 vulnerable pensioners – but police fear he may have attacked more than 500 victims. Grant, 53, was told he will spend a minimum of 27 years behind bars as he was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court, London.

He was confronted in court by a woman he attacked at her bungalow in Shirley, Croydon, in October 2002, when she was 77. The pensioner, referred to as Miss J for legal reasons, entered the witness box to describe the impact of the assault. Judge Peter Rook asked if her experiences at Grant's hands still affected her. Miss J replied: "If I go out I like to be home before dark. I do a lot of locking and bolting, and taking precautions ... It changed my life."

She was watched from the dock by Grant, who sat impassively throughout most of the hearing.