A MAN who was arrested in Stroud has pleaded guilty to the rape of an elderly woman in her own home. 

In November, police released images in connection with the case from CCTV taken in Minchinhampton which appeared to show Hickman near a property.

Hickman, aged in his 30s, was arrested in the Stroud area at around 11.35am on suspicion of raping an elderly woman in Gloucester in the early hours of Thursday.

Brady Hickman, 32 and of Philip Street, Gloucester, appeared via video link at Gloucester Crown Court today, Thursday 13 January.

He pleaded guilty to one count of rape and two counts of assault by penetration on 11 November last year (2021).

The pleas relate to an incident in the early hours of the morning when police responded to a call after an elderly victim activated her Lifeline personal alarm stating that a stranger had broken into her home and raped her.

Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Detective Sergeant Faye Satchwell-Bennett said: "I am pleased to see Hickman has admitted that he was the person responsible for committing these abhorrent crimes.

"I would like to thank the victim in this case for her unwavering strength and bravery throughout the investigation.

"At Gloucestershire Constabulary we have specially trained officers that can help if you ever need to report a sexual offence. We work hard to take sexual predators off the streets and to protect people from harm."

Hickman was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on Thursday 17 March at Gloucester Crown Court.

If you have experienced rape, sexual assault or abuse, you can report this to police by calling 101 or 999 in the case of an emergency. 

Gloucestershire Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre support women dealing with the effects of rape and sexual abuse. For more information visit their website www.glosrasac.org/