Rotherham man handed 15 year prison term after his DNA linked him to 1985 rape in Sheffield
David Hill is finally facing justice - 40 years after the crime
A Rotherham man has been jailed for 15 years over a knifepoint rape which happened in Sheffield in 1985.
75 year old David Hill, of Clifton, was linked to the crime after a DNA breakthrough made by cold-case officers.
Hill was found guilty by a jury at Sheffield Crown Court of raping his victim in an underground car park after she left Josephine's nightclub on September 7 1985.
The case was reopened in 2021 after DNA search on the victim's clothing, which provided a high probability match to David Hill.
Hill was arrested in March 2022, but said he could not remember the night in question.
He died however admit to to attending Josephine's nightclub and engaging in casual sexual encounters, including with married women.
At his trial, hearsay evidence from the victim's original witness statement, despite her passing in the late 1990s, was heard by a jury.
Caroline Deacon, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS Yorkshire & Humberside, expressed gratitude: “This is among the most complex and unique cases I have worked on in my career, and one which presented exceptional legal challenges."
"At its heart was a young woman for whom we were determined to secure justice. We successfully applied for her original account of the attack to be used in court even though she has now passed away ensuring that her voice could be heard after four decades.”