Reece Wigglesworth Sentenced for Sexual Assault and Robbery

Reece Wigglesworth, 16, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years detention at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court for sexually assaulting a 79-year-old woman in her home and robbing a disabled woman of her car at knifepoint.

Wigglesworth, who had previously received a caution for sexually assaulting a child, was wearing a hoodie when he tried doors of homes in Newcastle. He barged into the 79-year-old woman's home after she mistook him for her son, pushing her against a worktop and sexually assaulting her.

The pensioner screamed and Wigglesworth hit her across the head, telling her to "shut the f*** up" before running off.

Seven months prior to the assault, Wigglesworth and an accomplice robbed a disabled woman of her car at knifepoint. The victim was so distressed that she moved house.

The incident with the pensioner occurred on October 9, 2023, while the robbery took place on February 18, 2023.

The judge, Paul Glenn, described the sexual assault as "an appalling case" and stated that Wigglesworth "is a danger when at large in the community."

Wigglesworth pleaded guilty to robbery, possession of a knife in public, burglary and sexual assault. He was placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely and barred from activities involving children and vulnerable adults.