Michael Kidd: 'Dangerous' and 'wicked' Doncaster man sexually abused and attacked 84-year-old with Alzheimer's

"You truly are a comprehensively wicked individual," a Sheffield judge told a man who 'brutally beat and sexually molested' an 84-year-old woman with advanced Alzheimer's in her own home. 

Emotionless Michael Kidd sat slumped in his chair, handcuffed and flanked by security guards on either side of him, as he was forced to listen to the life-changing impact of his attack from a dock of a Sheffield Crown Court today.

The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said: "You physically assaulted her using your brute force, and also used crockery and other broken items as a weapon. This caused injuries to her head and body. Despite her fragility, she tried to defend herself.

"You ripped her top, and that was an area of her body where she kept what little money she had, and exposed the breast of this elderly and fragile woman.

"You then bit her breast. Your saliva was deposited upon it. You then undressed her, removing her trousers, exposing her buttocks. You sexually molested her and by doing so, you left further saliva in the vicinity of her trousers. She was also bruised in that part of her body."

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The court heard how the DNA Kidd left on the complainant enabled police to link him to the assault. 

Judge Richardson told Kidd, aged 35, that his victim was never able to return to her home following the attack because it has now been deemed necessary for her to be in a care home, and her health has also deteriorated. 

"The consequences for her have been devastating. She’s lost all semblance of independence, and her dog can not be with her to give her some form of comfort," Judge Richardson said, describing the ‘companionship’ she previously enjoyed with her dog as being her 'one form of solace'. 

Not only did twisted Kidd leave his vulnerable victim with injuries to 15 different areas of her body - including her breast and buttock - but Judge Richardson said he had also failed to 'exhibit any meaningful remorse or empathy’ or take ‘responsibility' for his crimes. 

Michael David Smith, prosecuting, said there was no sign of any forced entry to the Doncaster home of the complainant, who was taking medication to treat hallucinations brought on by her Alzheimer’s at the time of the incident; and it is believed she may have let Kidd in. 

Mr Smith described how after inflicting the 'egregious' injuries upon the complainant, Kidd fled the scene; and her nephew subsequently found the complainant 'dripping in blood' in the front room of her house the following morning.

The complainant’s nephew, who acted as her carer and visited her every day, initially assumed his aunt had suffered a fall, with the true cause of her injuries only emerging after she was rushed to hospital. 

Mr Smith said among the other injuries suffered by the complainant was a wound measuring 5.5 cm by 2.5 cm, running from her scalp to her eyebrow, a 6cm cut to her forehead, bruising to numerous parts of her body including her shoulders, along with a fracture to her hand and other injuries which were indicative of the complainant’s attempts to defend herself. 

The complainant was unable to provide a statement to the court; but in the one provided by her nephew he described how, in addition to the trauma of seeing his aunt in such a bloodied state, he was then arrested and kept in police custody for 26 hours, after officers placed him under suspicion of being the perpetrator. 

Mr Smith said the complainant’s nephew had shared details of the 'ongoing stigma' he has been forced to endure as a result of his arrest.

He also described the way in which his care for, and quality time with, his aunt has been 'curtailed'as a result of her admission into a care home. 

Kidd, of no fixed abode, was subsequently charged with, and pleaded guilty to, one count of causing grievous bodily harm, and two counts of sexual assault. 

The court was told how among the 18 previous offences on Kidd’s criminal records are offences of attempted robbery and attempted kidnap, both of which were committed against ‘lone women’ on the same day in 2014. 

Judge Richardson said he found both convictions to be highly relevant. 

Defending, Edward Moss asked Judge Richardson to take Kidd’s ‘low-IQ’ into consideration, adding: "This is somebody who had an appalling upbringing, which has been described by the psychiatrist as being brutal and violent and he was known to child protection services."

Consequently, Mr Moss said Kidd is someone who has often been homeless and has abused drink and drugs to cope with the difficulties of his 'baleful' life. 

CCTV showed Kidd drinking alcohol with another individual on the street a short distance away from the complainant’s home in the hours before the attack took place.

Mr Moss suggested he was intoxicated at the time of the attack, and claims to have little memory of it. 

Judge Richardson said he had considered passing a life sentence upon Kidd, but ultimately came to the conclusion that the correct punishment was a 19 year sentence, consisting of 14 years’ custody and five years extended licence, after branding Kidd a 'dangerous' offender who poses a risk to the public. 

As he sent him to begin his sentence, Judge Richardson told him: "You truly are a comprehensively wicked individual. You deserve this sentence, without a shadow of a doubt."

Kidd was also told he must remain on the sex-offenders’ register for the rest of his life.

Detective Constable Gary Rawlings, the office in charge of the case for South Yorkshire Police, said: "Kidd has rightfully been put behind bars for several years after subjecting his victim to a violent and prolonged attack.

"The victim in this horrendous incident suffers from dementia and was therefore unable to provide an account of what happened to her.

"However, the dedicated work by officers within the reactive CID team at Doncaster resulted in a mound of substantial evidence against Kidd, resulting in him pleaded guilty and providing the victim with a voice.

"I hope the sentence he received brings some justice to the victim and her family."