An elderly British woman died seven months after she was raped, beaten and robbed in her holiday apartment in the Canary Islands.
The woman, 73, was attacked by a 32-year-old man who scaled a six-foot wall in order to break into her flat in Tenerife.
The man threatened the woman before subjecting her to a horrific two-hour ordeal and stealing money, jewellery and keys.
The offence took place in May 2018 but has only now been openly reported after the perpetrator was convicted in a trial which has shocked the island.
The culprit was caught out by DNA evidence and CCTV recordings in which the victim recognised him. He has now been jailed for nine years.
Tragically, the woman in the case died in January 2019 - some seven months after the attack - but not before giving evidence to investigators.
Medical reports showed she suffered extensive wounds and clinicians confirmed the DNA evidence as credible, despite defence claims that the DNA was only a "peripheral element".
One expert stated: “It is a trillion times more likely that the DNA belongs to the accused than to any other person.”
The court heard the woman enjoyed spending long periods in Tenerife to escape the British weather and had an apartment in the southern resort of Arona.
The woman, who suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), told police the man attacked her relentlessly and only stopped when she gave him the code to a safe containing valuables.
She added the man showed no sign of being under the influence of drink or drugs.
The victim was hospitalised in Santa Cruz and although her death was not linked to the attack, her daughter testified that her health worsened following the brutal assault.
The rapist was arrested in Valencia two months later and insisted he had nothing to do with the assault. He denied fleeing the island and said he had left Tenerife the following day purely for work reasons.
He was spotted on CCTV footage and also identified by a woman he had mugged the same day, although the court case was reportedly dogged by delays.
In addition to his sentence, the man was ordered to pay £30,000 to the woman’s family and to return the jewellery, with the possibility of further compensation.
