Copycat sex attacker found guilty

Anscombe's computers had stories and images of sexual violence

A hospital worker has been convicted of assaulting a teenager in a sex attack he copied from an internet site.

Carley Furness, 17, was saved by emergency surgery after being stabbed in the throat and stomach by 28-year-old Peter Anscombe.

He assaulted her as she walked to work through a park in Orpington, south-east London, last September.

The judge delayed sentencing until 27 July but warned Anscombe he could be jailed for life.

The court heard Anscombe sexually assaulted Miss Furness before a female passer-by chased him off.

The prosecution alleged that Anscombe tried to rape the teenager after reading a similar pornographic story on the internet.

Anscombe, who lived with his parents in Orpington, was described as a family man who had never been in trouble before.

I would never want anyone to go through what I had to Carley Furness

Four days earlier before he assaulted Miss Furness, he had attacked a 39-year-old woman in a shopping centre car park in Bromley, south-east London.

He was found guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and sexual assault on Miss Furness and assault on the other woman.

Miss Furness, now 18, who waived her right to anonymity after the verdicts, said: "I can't understand why someone would want to do this to me.

"I would never want anyone to go through what I had to. I hope he gets what he deserves."

After his arrest, Anscombe's computer and two laptops were found to contain a number of stories and images of rape and sexual violence.

Det Insp Bryan Davidson said: "We can only be grateful that Anscombe was so quickly identified and arrested.

"It appears that, after a long time fantasising about attacking women, he was beginning to put thoughts into action. I dread to think what he would have gone on to do next."