Greater Manchester Police dog handler jailed for 'horrific' sex attack.

A police dog handler who throttled and punched a woman while trying to rape her in her home has been jailed.

Ernesto Ceraldi, a former Greater Manchester Police officer, attacked the woman after meeting her at a Rossendale pub in April, Preston Crown Court heard. She attempted to escape, but he chased her while naked and continued his assault until a neighbor intervened.

Ceraldi, 44, admitted to attempted rape and assault and was sentenced to five years and four months in prison.

The court heard that Ceraldi, who has since resigned from the force, met the woman on April 1st and was invited back to her home. They drank wine, and he showed her pictures of his police dog. However, his attitude "changed all of a sudden," and he demanded the woman perform a sex act, grabbing her hair. Ceraldi pushed her against a wall, causing a picture to fall and break, and put his hand around her throat. The prosecutor, David Traynor QC, described the pressure on her throat as "horrific" and said she "nearly stopped breathing."

Ceraldi, who has no fixed address, repeatedly punched the woman before pursuing her as she tried to flee. A neighbor heard her screaming and came to her aid. Ceraldi then returned to the house, where police found him sleeping naked on the sofa with his leg through the arm of a jacket.

In a statement, the woman said, "As Ceraldi had been a police officer, I should have been able to trust him without a shadow of a doubt. If I cannot trust a police officer with 21 years of service, who can I trust?"

She added that while her physical injuries had healed, "the mental effects ever will." She is now unable to return home after dark alone and requires someone to accompany her.

Julian King, defending Ceraldi, who had a wife and two adult children, said the dog handler's actions were "out of character" and had been aggravated by "the substantial consumption of alcohol." He also highlighted Ceraldi's previous commendations, including recognition for his work at the 2008 Uefa Cup final and the Salford riots in 2011.

Sentencing Ceraldi, Judge Simon Medland QC said the former officer's actions had been "aggressive and coercive and violent" and that he had used his job to "fill the victim with confidence." He added that the incident "terrified the victim and she was in genuine fear for her life."

However, the judge also acknowledged Ceraldi's genuine remorse and the significance of his guilty plea, which he entered after initially denying the offenses. Ceraldi was also ordered to comply with sexual offence notification requirements for the rest of his life and was given a restraining order.