A MAN who strangled a woman before attempting to rape her in a 'horrifying' has been jailed.
Francis O'Connor, 30, from Doncaster was also convicted of intimidating a witness after trying to get his victim to drop the charges.
Last week, O'Connor was jailed for 11-and-a-half years at Sheffield Crown Court, with a four-year extended licence period.
"O'Connor subjected his victim to a brutal, horrifying and unforgivable attack which has impacted her life significantly," said Detective Constable Chloe Wharmby.
'Sort it out'
South Yorkshire Police said O'Connor brutally assaulted his victim by grabbing her throat and putting his legs around her neck, before later trying to rape her as she slept.
The victim managed to fight him off and get to safety but not before O'Connor grabbed her throat again in another terrifying assault.
O'Connor, of HMP Doncaster, then fled the scene in the victim's car and stole £300 of cash from her before officers located him and arrested him.
Despite answering no comment to all questions during a police interview, he was charged with multiple offences after an investigation.
While on remand in custody, O'Connor was heard on a phone call encouraging a relative to contact the victim in order to get her to drop the charges against him.
He told the relative to 'sort it out' and 'go round to speak to her and then put me on speaker phone'.
A second investigation was subsequently launched and O'Connor was charged with the additional offence of attempting to intimidate a witness.
The calibre of evidence secured in both investigations led to O'Connor pleading guilty to intimidating a witness, attempted rape, intentional strangulation, affray, theft and driving a motor vehicle without the owner's consent.
'Utterly traumatic'
DC Wharmby praised O'Connor's victim for coming forward and not being intimidated into dropping the charges.
"What she endured was utterly traumatic and I want to commend the victim for her bravery and courage in coming forward and reporting O'Connor's crimes to us," she said.
"Even in the face of intimidation, she remained resolute, and I hope O'Connor's prosecution and conviction will bring her some sense of justice and allow her to move on from this awful ordeal."
O'Connor must sign the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely and has been given a restraining order that prevents him from making any contact with his victim.
See More: Doncaster, South Yorkshire Police
