Mark John Butcher

Mark John Butcher, a 36-year-old man from Evercreech, Somerset, was sentenced to four years and seven months in prison at Taunton Crown Court on April 12, 2019, after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual assault. The attacks occurred within a three-month span in 2018, targeting vulnerable women in the Street and Shepton Mallet areas.

The first incident took place on June 5, 2018, on Somerton Road in Street, where Butcher pushed a 24-year-old woman against a wall and sexually assaulted her. The victim shouted for him to stop, prompting Butcher to flee the scene. Avon and Somerset Police investigated the report and linked it to subsequent assaults.

• On July 19, 2018, an 18-year-old woman was attacked shortly after leaving a supermarket. Butcher grabbed her around the throat and pulled her backwards during the assault. She managed to fight him off and run home, where her mother called the police.
• The third assault occurred on August 31, 2018, in Dark Lane, Shepton Mallet, around 7pm. While jogging, a 20-year-old woman was grabbed by the throat and pulled to the ground by Butcher. She resisted, kicking him to escape, and later provided police with details of a Peugeot car with an 'S' prefix registration plate seen nearby, which aided in identifying the suspect.

Following his release, Butcher will be on licence for three years and placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life. The case was prosecuted by Avon and Somerset Police, highlighting their commitment to tackling sexual offences in the community. Court reports from Somerset Live detail the judge's remarks on the severity of the crimes and the impact on the victims.