Man Admits 1986 Rape

6 March 2012, 11:27 | Updated: 6 March 2012, 12:13

New DNA evidence has helped convict a Bedfordshire man of raping a woman in a fast food restaurant in 1986.

Alexander McGuire, 60, from Greyhound Close, Sandy, (right) has now admitted the attack in Windsor, Berkshire following a reinvestigation into the case by the Major Crime Review Team.  He had previously stood trial over the attack and had been cleared.

The victim was 29 when she was attacked at a McDonald's restaurant while she was working on a late shift.  When she came out of a toilet cubicle, she was confronted by McGuire, who pushed her back in, threatened her with a knife and raped her.

McGuire was arrested some months later, and was picked out of an identity parade by the victim. He was charged with this rape and the victim gave evidence, however he was found not guilty by the jury at the instruction of the judge.

The Thames Valley Police Major Crime Review Team re-opened the case, and the forensic evidence secured during the medical examination of the victim at the time of the offence was re-examined using new DNA techniques not available to the original investigation team. This identified a DNA profile which matched to McGuire’s DNA, with a one in a billion chance it was not his DNA.

Because of a change in the law that means you can now be tried for the same crime twice if new evidence comes to light, McGuire was re-arrested at his home in July 2011 and the original trial verdict was quashed in December 2011.

Detective Constable Alison Brown, from the MCRT, said: “McGuire thought he had got away with his horrendous crime when he was originally acquitted over 25 years ago. However due to the advance in forensic technology and new legislation under Double Jeopardy, we were able to prosecute him and he has finally been punished for his crime.

“His guilty plea shows he knew the evidence against him was too strong to deny. I hope cases such as this show other offenders that the MCRT are dedicated to solving unsolved serious crimes and will use every tool available to us to do so.

“I would also like to pay tribute to the victim, who was very supportive of the re investigation. Although she did not actually have to give her evidence she was prepared to in order to make sure that McGuire finally received the punishment that he deserved.”