Ipswich sex attacker Adiley Pires admits robbery charges

Sentencing 25-year-old Adiley Pires, Judge Emma Peters said: “ I suspect most young women in Ipswich will be much safer because you are in prison and will be for some time to come.

“There is no other way of putting it. You were a dangerous menace to young lone women on the streets of Ipswich.

“Young women ought to be able to walk safely around this town," she added.

Adiley Pires is serving a 15 year sentence for attempting to rape two women in Ipswich. (Image: Suffolk Constabulary)

She said that she had jailed Pires for 15 years with an extended licence period of six years in December last year for two late night attempted rapes on two young women in Ipswich.

She said the current offences before the court - a robbery and an attempted robbery - were committed in similar locations and in similar circumstances to the attempted rapes.

Pires of Kensington Road, Ipswich admitted robbing one victim of her purse containing a bank card and driving licence on October 12 2022 as she walked home along a river towpath near Tower Mill Road.

Pires, whose face was partly covered by his hood came up behind her and said he would stab her if she didn’t hand over her phone.

When she said she didn’t have a phone he ripped her bag from her arm and during the struggle that followed he had punched her in the face.

The woman and Pires ended up on the ground and during the attack all the woman’s fake nails were ripped off as she tried to scratch him.

Pires had run off after local residents were alerted by her screams.

Pires also admitted attempting to rob a young woman of her mobile phone in Cardinal Park on November 14 2022.

She was walking alone at around 10pm when Pires ran up behind her and tried to grab her phone out of her hand.

During the struggle that followed he grabbed the hood of her coat and ripped it and she managed to bite him on the leg before he ran off empty-handed.

In victim impact statements read to the court both victims described the devastating effect the attacks had had on their lives and one said she though Pires would still be attacking women if he hadn’t been caught.

Judge Peters jailed Pires for 63 months which will run concurrently with the 15 year sentence imposed last year after he was found guilty after a trial of attempted rape and sexual assault in connection with an incident which happened in October 2021, and a further attempted rape and an offence of assault by beating in connection with an incident which happened on the river towpath near Tower Mill Road in December 2022.

In the course of his trial, the court was told that Pires was nicknamed ‘Zombie’ by his work colleagues.

In the 2021 incident, an 18-year-old woman was walking along the Ipswich waterfront from the direction of Stoke Bridge when she was approached by Pires, who asked for her phone number and then touched her bottom.

The victim rebuffed Pires, who chased her into the courtyard area of Foundry, The Mill, before lifting her onto a flower planter and pulling up her dress. The woman's screams for help alerted residents in the building above, and Pires ran.

The second incident occurred related to a 17-year-old girl who was walking in the direction of Tower Mill Road, when she was grabbed by Pires and pushed to the ground.

He then covered her mouth and hit her whilst pulling at her leggings. The victim tried to fight him off and managed to call for help, catching the attention of nearby residents who shouted at Pires, who fled the scene.