A man who had only recently been released from jail raped a woman in her Maidstone home.

James Michael Donoghue, 42, was living in a Maidstone bail hostel when he carried out the attack.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and two counts of burglary. He had contested a further count of sexual assault but on Monday, October 19, a judge at Maidstone Crown Court ordered that the offence should lie on file.

Donoghue was caught by police just two hours after the offences occurred thanks to the help of several people.

They were able to tell police where they had seen a man matching Donoghue's description. He was stopped and arrested by one of the police patrols searching the location in Maidstone and made a partial confession during interview.

He had recently been released from prison and was living in a bail hostel in the area.

DCI Dean Barnes of the Major Crime unit said: "This was a dreadful crime in which the victim had to endure a terrible ordeal. Thankfully, Donoghue’s guilty plea in the face of overwhelming evidence will mean that the victim will now not have to undergo the further distress of giving evidence in a full trial.

"I would like to thank all those who played their part in putting together this case - detectives from Major Crime, forensic officers, the Criminal Justice Unit, the Probation Service, the Crown Prosecution Service and particularly the marine unit and search teams, including the police helicopter, who helped locate and arrest Donoghue so promptly.

"We must express our gratitude also to the victim who throughout this investigation, which has involved a large number of officers and significant amount of time, has been extremely brave and constantly helpful, despite the trauma she has suffered.
"It also should be stressed how rare these types of crimes are and wherever possible, we will seek to bring those responsible to justice.”

Sentencing was adjourned until December 4 for psychiatric and probation reports to be prepared.