Sex attacker jailed for 12 years for raping drunk Australian tourist twice in an alleyway is denied parole after refusing to take prison courses

A sex beast who befriended and then raped a drunk Australian tourist twice in Manchester city centre has been refused parole beccause of his violent behaviour in prison and his refusal to take sex offender courses.

Stephen Johnson, then 29, of Spruce Court, Salford was given an extended determinate sentence of 12-years for the June 2013 attack - a type of sentence reserved for dangerous offenders.

He was found guilty of carrying out the horrific attack on the 20-year-old victim who was on holiday in the UK in an alleyway after talking to her as she walked through the city’s Piccadilly Gardens.

Manchester Crown Court was told that the young victim had gone into Manchester for an evening out on the 12th June 2013 and had walked through the park, where Johnson had asked her for a cigarette.

They sat down together and talked for a while, but when the woman went to leave it became clear she was drunk and Johnson took advantage of this and led her away.

He started to touch her inappropriately and then pulled her into an alleyway, pushed her to the floor and raped her.

Johnson hid when a car passed, but then followed the woman and raped her again.

Despite her feeling faint, he continued to assault her, until she finally managed to escape and run to where two refuse collectors were working nearby.

They called the police and Johnson was arrested.

Detective Constable Emma Cyprien, of GMP’s Serious Sexual Offences Unit, said after the trial: ‘Johnson could clearly see the victim was in no state to consent to any sexual activity and is a reflection of his character that he took advantage of her, raped and sexually assaulted her.

‘She has had to relive her ordeal in court and I must credit her for standing up to Johnson and helping ensure justice has been done.’

Under the terms of his extended sentence, Johnson, now 38, was required to serve two thirds of his 12-years before being considered for parole. This was his first hearing.

He first became eligible for parole on the 19th July 2022 and the appeal was based on written evidence. Johnson did not appear and was not allowed to give oral evidence.

A summary of the Parole Board’s decision, seen by MailOnline, said Johnson had exhibited poor behaviour in prison and had used violence.

It states: ‘Evidence was presented in the dossier regarding Mr Johnson’s progress and custodial conduct during this sentence.

‘His behaviour in prison had been poor including some aggression and violence although a recent improvement had been recorded.

‘Mr Johnson had not yet completed an accredited programme to address his offending behaviour but had just begun some relevant work which would focus on his thinking and decision making, relationships, his attitudes and his future goals.’

It added:’Report writers did not support release at this stage.’

Under the headline ‘Risk Assessment’ the report notes:’The panel noted that Mr Johnson had spent a lot of time in his everyday life thinking about sex and that he was motivated by sexual gratification.

‘He lacked victim empathy and had some unhelpful attitudes which caused him to seek power and control over others and to support criminality.

‘Mr Johnson had anti-social friends, misused drugs and alcohol, and tended to blame others for his problems.’

The panel also considered a probation plan and concluded it was not robust enough to manage Johnson in the community.

The Parole Board concluded: ‘After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented in the dossier, the panel was not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public.’

A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: ‘“We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board refused the release of Stephen Johnson following an oral hearing.

‘Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.’

Johnson will be eligible for a second parole hearing in 2025, but if he is not released on licence, he will be freed automatically in July 2026.