Man on Trial for 1991 Rape Attempt

0:00On March 17th, a man from Cheshire is on trial for the attempted rape and indecent assault of a 74-year-old widow back in 1991. Prosecutors say Aaron Trainor, who was 22 at the time, attacked Annie Davenport as she walked home in Stockport, dragging her down in Anne, embankment and assaulting her. Now 56, Trainor denies the charges but admits they met that night. The incident happened on a Sunday evening after Miss Davenport left church and visited friends. According to the prosecution, Trainor grabbed her from behind on a railway bridge, held her tightly and forced her through a fence to the embankment, below where the assault took place over several minutes before he fled. Miss Davenport, a church-going widow who lived alone, was found distressed by a passer-by, missing a shoe in her handbag. She gave a detailed police statement that night, describing her terror and medical exams showed injuries like knee abrasions. She passed away in 2004 from unrelated health issues.

1:00The case went cold for decades, partly because the original police file was lost, but her statement survived. Then, in August 2023, Trainor was stopped for being drunk in charge of a vehicle. His DNA sample matched one, taken from her clothing all those years ago. Greater Manchester Police's cold case team arrested him in February 2024. In his defense, Trainor claims the encounter was consensual and that Miss Davenport initiated it. The jury is now hearing all the evidence from this long-barried attack.