Sheffield Crime: 'Dangerous' and 'wicked' man sexually abused and attacked 84-year-old with Alzheimer's

The Star, Sheffield

Sarah Marshall reports on the case of Michael Kidd. "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.

Transcript

00:00 Yes, certainly. I think this is probably one of the most shocking cases I've covered in some time.

00:05 A 35-year-old defendant, Michael Kidd, was granted access to this vulnerable woman's house.

00:13 She's 84 years old, she has advanced Alzheimer's, and once inside there was some sort of struggle.

00:22 He left her with injuries to 15 different areas of her body.

00:28 He sexually assaulted her, it's believed that he bit her nipple.

00:33 His saliva was found in her breast area and also inside her bra cup.

00:39 Saliva was also found around her buttock area, so it's quite clear that he'd sexually assaulted her there as well.

00:48 He's believed to have used bits of crockery, broken crockery, in the attack.

00:54 There was clearly some sort of struggle because despite her fragility, she had fractures to her hands,

01:03 which are believed to be defensive injuries that she would have sustained as she was trying to fend him off.

01:09 Was any possible motive given for this? Why did he do this?

01:12 There wasn't really much of a motive given. Her nephew, who was her carer at the time,

01:18 he said that he would give her a little bit of cash for herself after he'd done her weekly shop for her and set her up for the week.

01:25 He'd give her a bit of cash and it sounds like she was maybe a creature of habit,

01:30 she'd always keep her cash that she was given in her breast pocket and her shirt was ripped around there.

01:37 So they think maybe he was trying to go for the cash when he committed the sexual assault but it's not entirely clear.

01:43 How did the police actually arrest him and charge him? How did they find out who did this?

01:50 So, she was discovered the next morning by her nephew, as I say he's a carer,

01:57 and after he would generally come in every day and they'd sit and watch television and he'd sort things out for her.

02:05 So when he came and he found her, he found her in this bloodied state, he described her as being literally dripping with blood.

02:12 But because of her confused state, because of her condition, he thought she perhaps had a fall.

02:18 And it was only when she was taken to hospital and her injuries were obviously treated but then also analysed

02:26 that it was discovered that it was clearly something more sinister than that.

02:30 But the survivor that Michael Kidd left on his victim enabled police to trace him to the crimes

02:39 because he had a criminal record and his DNA was already in the police system.

02:44 What did Michael Kidd get sentenced to and what did the judge say?

02:48 He was sentenced to a 19 year sentence consisting of a 14 year custodial element

02:56 but also a five year extended sentence because the judge said that he was a dangerous individual

03:03 and the public needed to be protected from him.

03:07 But as he was sending Kidd to prison, the recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson,

03:13 King's Council, said you truly are a comprehensively wicked individual.

03:19 Wicked isn't really a term that judges throw around very easily but he clearly felt it was necessary in the case of Kidd.

03:28 What was Kidd's demeanour like in court?

03:31 It was quite strange really. He was handcuffed which isn't something they do for every defendant

03:39 but an application was made and was successful to have him handcuffed.

03:43 He was also flanked either side in the dock by security guards and he sat sort of slumped in his chair

03:50 as though he wasn't really listening. It was quite a strange picture to be honest.

03:56 Did the police make any other arrests as part of this investigation before they actually found Kidd?

04:03 Unfortunately yes. They arrested the complainant who cannot be named for legal reasons.

04:08 They arrested her nephew and he was kept in custody for 26 hours.

04:13 And he said even though obviously someone else has been arrested, charged and now convicted,

04:20 he was under suspicion for a while and in the community that he lives in, he said that that stigma is ongoing.

04:28 People still suspect him which I think is quite heartbreaking.

04:32 And another sort of effect of Kidd's offending is that the complainant has never been able to go back to her own home.

04:42 She's since been put into a care home and they say her health has deteriorated.

04:47 And another heartbreaking part of it is that she had a dog who was said to be her one bit of solace and comfort that she had in her life.

04:59 But obviously the dog's not been able to come to the care home with her which I think she's found distressing.

05:05 And also the nephew said there were times in the morning when he would go and sit with her.

05:11 They'd watch television together. He'd talk to her about what he needed to do for her.

05:16 They've been taken away as well because he doesn't have quite the same access to her now that she's in permanent care.

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