Delroy Grant, dubbed the Night Stalker, terrorised elderly residents in south London, Kent, and Surrey over a 17-year period, committing a series of brutal sex attacks that left victims in fear and distress. The Metropolitan Police launched Operation Minstead in 1998 following linked rapes, but investigative errors allowed Grant to evade capture for years. He was finally arrested in November 2009 after a DNA match linked him to the crimes.
Grant, aged 53 from Honor Oak in south London, targeted vulnerable elderly individuals living alone, many of whom were blind, deaf, or suffered from conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. His modus operandi involved breaking into homes at night using tools like a crowbar, removing light bulbs, cutting telephone lines, and wearing a mask and gloves to conceal his identity. He then subjected victims to humiliating and degrading sexual assaults, including rapes. The attacks occurred in locations including Warlingham, Shirley, Beckenham, Bromley, Addiscombe, Orpington, and West Dulwich, with his oldest victim aged 89. Police suspect Grant may have been responsible for up to 600 incidents, though he was convicted on 29 counts comprising three rapes, one attempted rape, seven indecent assaults, and 18 burglaries or attempted burglaries.
At Woolwich Crown Court, Judge Peter Rook described Grant as a 'very evil man capable of committing heinous crimes' whose 'utter depravity knows no bounds'. The judge highlighted how Grant left a 'trail of distress, fear and misery', blighting the remaining years of his victims' lives. One victim, an 85-year-old woman known as Miss J attacked in Croydon in 2002, told the court: 'I do a lot of locking and bolting, and taking precautions... It changed my life.' In a 2003 statement, she added: 'I have found that time is not a great healer. Nobody can guarantee it won't happen again.' The son of another victim stated: 'It has ruined the winter years of my mother's life.'
Sentencing occurred on 24 March 2011, with Grant receiving four life sentences: three for rape and one for attempted rape. He was also given concurrent eight-year terms for the indecent assaults and six-year terms for the burglaries. Accounting for 16 months already served in custody, Grant became eligible for parole after 25 years and eight months, though the indeterminate sentence meant he might never be released. The Metropolitan Police apologised for earlier failures, including a DNA mix-up in 1999 and an unreturned visit to Grant's home. An Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation identified name confusion and poor burglary response as key reasons for the delay. Kit Malthouse, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, noted significant improvements in policing techniques since the errors. During the trial, Grant showed no remorse and falsely claimed his estranged wife had framed him by planting his semen at scenes.
The case, reported by the BBC on 25 March 2011, underscores one of the most disturbing serial offender investigations in Scotland Yard's history, with Grant's actions shattering the safety of victims' homes.