‘Terrifying’ man snuck up behind woman and sexually assaulted her

The victim said the attack has had a ‘lasting impact’ on her

A man who snuck up behind a woman and sexually assaulted her has been jailed. Cameron McNally began to follow his victim down Devonshire Road in Cambridge at around 8.20pm on January 31.

The woman noticed McNally’s shadow behind her and she turned onto Mill Road where she still felt she was being followed. The 26-year-old, who had his hood up, overtook her and withdrew cash at a Sainsbury’s ATM.

Then, while the woman walked along Emery Street, McNally grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth with his hand. He touched her before running off towards Mill Road while the victim screamed.

The woman called police and McNally was arrested on February 3. He was already known to Cambridgeshire Police after being convicted in March 2023 of assaulting a woman on a bus.

After appearing at Cambridge Crown Court on May 7, McNally, of Fortescue Road, Cambridge, was jailed for 20 months. He had previously pleaded guilty to sexual assault. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for ten years and handed an indefinite restraining order against the woman.

In her impact statement, the victim said McNally’s attack had had a “lasting impact” on her and she felt “paranoid” about walking on her own. She said it had also affected her social life, and she felt “restricted” by what she could do on an evening.

DC Will Kerslake, who investigated, said: “McNally carried out what must have been a terrifying attack for the victim, and he is clearly a danger to women. I’d like to praise the victim for her bravery in coming forward and helping us with a prosecution. I hope this sentence gives her some sense of closure to this traumatic period of her life.”

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