- Attacker targeted vulnerable men before groping and robbing them
- Victim left feeling 'sexually violated' following attack
- Judge jails drug addict for four years
By Anthony Bond
Last updated at 3:50 PM on 25th October 2011
A robber who sexually assaulted a cerebral palsy sufferer by squeezing his private parts before threatening him with a hypodermic needle has been jailed.
Natasha Dignum, 30, carried out the sickening attack on the vulnerable man shortly after he had withdrawn 60 from a cash point.
Manchester Crown Court heard today that the assault - which was captured by CCTV cameras - left the victim feeling 'sexually violated'.
Start of attack: This CCTV image captures the moment Natasha Dignum first approached her vulnerable victim by asking him for change
Moving in: Dignum gets closer to the man as she begins to think about sexually assaulting him
Disgraceful: The victim is left completely helpless as Dignum grabs his private parts so she could go through his pockets for cash
Dignum, from Openshaw, Manchester, repeatedly targeted vulnerable men, asking for spare change before throwing them off guard with a sudden grope or hug while she tried to pick their pocket, the court heard.
Her lengthy criminal record includes four previous convictions - three of them for crimes committed earlier this year - involving the bizarre groping technique.
The latest victim was at a cash point in Manchester when Dignum approached him and asked him for 1.
When he said he hadn't got one, she cupped him between the legs and squeezed tightly with one hand, using the other to grab at the money in his jeans pocket.
She told him: 'I have a needle in my pocket - if you shout I will use it'.
Jailed: Natasha Dignum has been sent to prison for four years following a series of bizarre robberies during which she sexually assaulted her victims
A woman walked up to the cash point and asked the victim if he was all right.
He said he was - too scared to speak up.
Dignum pulled away from her victim at this point, giving him the chance to grab back the 40 of the money she had taken from him.
She ran off with the remaining 20, but was arrested nearby within 45 minutes.
Speaking of his ordeal, the victim said: 'I was unable to sleep in the same bed as my wife for three days afterwards.
'I just couldn't let my wife touch me. Even now our love life is non-existent - when the girl who robbed me grabbed my testicles I felt it was sexual.
'I'm reluctant to go out and I'm upset I was unable to defend myself through having cerebral palsy.'
Max Saffman, defending, said of Dignum, who admitted robbery: 'The escalation in her offending is as a result of her dependence on crack cocaine and alcohol.
'She makes no bones of the fact she was stealing to fund these addictions.
'It doesn't make the offence any more palatable but explains why she behaved in the way she did.'
He said Dignum was proud of having gained three stones in prison and was a 'more rounded and reflective character' than she was at the time of the offence.
'She knows it's to be a lengthy sentence, she accepts that and she accepts she must be punished.
'She does, however, look at the future with a degree of optimism.
'She making good use of her time in custody and physically she's in much better health than before she went in,' he added.
Sentencing Dignum to four years in prison, Judge Martin Rudland told her she had targeted a vulnerable victim in a 'particularly unpleasant' offence which had a marked affect on him.
The judge added: 'You clearly have developed a means whereby you repeatedly approach people who might be vulnerable to suddenly try and take money from them by disorientating them, not least by a sexual approach.'
After the case Detective Constable Rachel Eaton of Greater Manchester Police said: 'This shocking incident has had a profound effect upon the man.
'It has really affected his confidence and quality of life, as he no longer feels able to go out alone.
'Dignum not only stole his money, but also his independence. I can only hope that seeing Dignum behind bars and brought to justice for this truly appalling crime will help restore some of this man's confidence.'
This is totally vile, made me nearly vomit.
- Dan, Preston, UK, 25/10/2011 16:57
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