Man raped neighbour then offered to landscape her garden to 'make up for it'
The twenty-year-old broke into his neighbour's house and sexually assaulted the woman for an hour and a half
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A 20-year-old raped his neighbour and then offered to make up for it by doing work around her house.
Timothy Walding has been jailed for 50 years after sexually assaulting the 35-year-old at her home in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Walding broke into the woman’s house at 4am while wearing a mask to cover his face.
He then tied the woman up, threatened her with a knife and raped her during an attack that lasted 90 minutes, the victim told a court, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
The woman said Walding spoke to her and took off his mask, revealing who he was, after the attack.
He reportedly told his victim she should deadbolt her door because he “really didn’t want to do this but [he] had to do it”.
At one point he offered to “make up for it” by fixing things around the woman’s house or landscaping her garden, reported the local newspaper.
He also warned the victim to keep the rape a secret.
Walding was convicted of sexual battery, false imprisonment, and armed burglary.
The rape conviction carries a minimum sentence of 50 years in prison, while the other two counts will run concurrently.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.