A serial burglar sexually assaulted a woman and threatened her with a knife during an attack at her Norwich home.  

Paddy Mutch, 35, visited her at 4am and began banging on the windows demanding to be let in. 

Once inside he sexually attacked the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pushing her onto the bed and trying to remove her trousers. 

Norwich Crown Court was told that the pair were known to each other but had not been in a relationship at the time and that she had refused to have sex. 

Stephen Spence, prosecuting, said Mutch had been “persistent, but she had persistently asked him to stop”. 

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During the incident on June 17 last year he had also threatened her with a knife and urinated on her bedroom floor, said Mr Spence. 

He also slashed all the tyres on her car as he left. 

Mutch, formerly of Fresher Mews in Bowthorpe, had previously denied the offences but later pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault and criminal damage. 

He also admitted burglary of a Tesco store and the attempted burglary of a branch of the Co-Op.  

Eastern Daily Press: Paddy Mutch was arrested following an attempted break-in at the Co-Op on Aylsham Road, NorwichPaddy Mutch was arrested following an attempted break-in at the Co-Op on Aylsham Road, Norwich (Image: Google)

Mr Spence said he stole £5,600 worth of cigarettes and £990 in cash after breaking into a branch of Tesco with a woman on February 24 last year.

The pair forced open shutters and jemmied open tills but Mutch was later identified from CCTV footage. 

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Mutch was also arrested following an attempted break-in by three men at the Co-Op on Aylsham Road in Norwich on May 1 which was foiled after neighbours were awoken by the noise. 

The court was told Mutch had 42 previous convictions for 89 offences.

Ian James, mitigating, said he had “chronic difficulties with drugs going back to his teens”.

Jailing him for 15 months, Judge Anthony Bate imposed a three year restraining order banning him from contacting the victim or going to Bowthorpe. 

He was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.