'Extremely dangerous' sex predator who stalked then attacked woman near to Fairburn Ings nature reserve has appeal rejected

Thomas Bird was given a 12-year jail term for the attack on the female near Fairburn Ings in June last year.

Bird, who was 30 at the time, went stalking for a victim in his car, abandoning one effort after following a female, before noticing another walking on her own.

He then parked up, followed her on foot and dragged her to the ground before sexually assaulting her.

His application to appeal his sentence was turned down during a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice.

The victim, a woman in her 60s, said she was "relieved" at the outcome.

She said: "When I heard that Thomas Bird had appealed his sentence I felt devastated and didn’t understand how a person could carry our such an horrific offence and think that it was acceptable that his punishment should not match his crime.

"Thomas Bird has destroyed my life and even 16 months on, I am reliving the attack every single day. I believe my life will never be the same again.

"The lead up to the appeal had caused additional stress on top of the stress of my already challenging day to day life.

"The person I was prior to the attack has gone and my life has changed drastically to the point where I only go out to the supermarket and for medical appointments.

"I do not socialise and I feel I am simply focusing on getting through one day at a time.

"I feel the outcome of keeping the sentence the same is the correct decision by the appeal court.

"I just want women to know that if this happens to them there can be a positive outcome and even though it is really difficult to deal with and takes tremendous courage it is worth it to get people like him brought to justice and keep other members of the public safe."

Described by police as "extremely dangerous man", Bird had always denied it was he who attacked the woman shortly before 7am on June 18 last year at the side of the A1246 between Fairburn and Holyrood Lane.

In the days that followed, an intensive police search and enquiries were carried out including a trawl of public CCTV in the area and a media appeal for private CCTV and dash-cam footage from that morning.

Crucially, CCTV footage was recovered in Fairburn village on Cut Road, about 1km away from the attack scene, around 30 minutes before the incident, showing a man matching Bird’s description walking down to Fairburn Ings nature reserve.

Based on that image, CCTV work established that the suspect arrived in a black Vauxhall Astra car, and using ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) data, it was linked to Bird through insurance records.

A search of his home led to the recovery of CCTV footage, including him leaving the property at 6.07am on the morning of the attack.

Face masks matching those worn by the attacker were also recovered, as well as surgical-type gloves which he is also believed to have been wearing during the attack.

Prior to the attack, footage showed Bird’s car driving into Fairburn.

He was seen passing a lone woman, before turning around, and parking near to the Ings.

Bird, from Knottingley, then changed into dark clothing before following the woman on foot.

Detectives were able to trace the woman and found that she had stopped to speak to a fisherman by the Ings.

It is believed that Bird may have intended to attack her but was disturbed by the fisherman’s presence.

Instead, he returned to his car and changed out of the dark clothing. He then drove away towards the scene of the attack where he again changed clothing.

Following the attack, CCTV recorded at Bird’s home address showed him returning and disposing of the dark clothing in a work’s vehicle.

He was found guilty after trial at York Crown Court in which the footage was able to pinpoint his exact movements that morning.