Daniel Waldron – Newton Aycliffe

Newton Aycliffe rapist jailed for 12 years after attacking sleeping woman — years after brutal assault on former partner

A convicted rapist who attacked a woman while she slept, hid her phone and begged her not to report him has been jailed for 12 years — four years after he was imprisoned for a brutal attack on a former partner.

Daniel Waldron, 29, of Newton Aycliffe, was found guilty following a trial at Teesside Crown Court of rape, sexual assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The court heard the woman was asleep when Waldron raped and sexually assaulted her.

After the attack, Waldron hid her phone so she could not immediately contact police and pleaded with her not to disclose what he had done.

Police later attended a property following an anonymous report. The victim told officers Waldron had raped her while she was sleeping and had also assaulted her.

Waldron denied rape, sexual assault and ABH, maintaining that any sexual activity had been consensual and claiming the woman had not been asleep.

A jury rejected his account and found him guilty of all three offences following a trial from June 29 to July 3.

Appearing by video link from HMP Holme House for sentencing at Teesside Crown Court on Friday, October 2, Waldron heard how his crimes had caused a “devastating impact” on his victim’s physical and mental health.

Recorder Andrew Sutcliffe KC said aggravating factors included Waldron being under the influence of alcohol during the offences and his attempts to persuade the woman not to report him. The degradation and humiliation suffered by the victim was also considered an aggravating feature.

The judge said Waldron posed a danger to women, although he did not consider an extended sentence necessary.

Waldron was jailed for 12 years and must serve two-thirds of the sentence in custody before being eligible for release on licence.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely and made subject to an indefinite restraining order preventing him from contacting or approaching his victim.

Previous violence against former partner

The court was told Waldron had no previous sexual convictions, but he did have a previous conviction for violence.

In 2022, Waldron appeared at Durham Crown Court after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm against a former partner, alongside earlier offences of common assault and criminal damage.

During that case, the court heard Waldron woke in a bad mood after running out of cannabis before an argument over a games console descended into violence.

He pushed his partner out of bed, slapped and punched her, dragged her across the floor by her hair and threw a cigarette lighter at her.

During the attack, Waldron also gripped the woman around the neck so tightly that she feared she would suffocate. He forced her to tell him she loved him before releasing her.

Prosecutors also detailed earlier incidents of violence and criminal damage during the relationship.

Waldron was jailed over that offending.

Now, four years later, he has received a substantially longer sentence after a jury convicted him of rape, sexual assault and another violent assault against a woman.

His latest 12-year sentence, indefinite registration as a sex offender and the judge’s finding that he poses a danger to women add another serious chapter to his history of violence against women.

Clare’s Law: If you are concerned that a current or former partner may have a history of domestic abuse, you can make a request to police under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (Clare’s Law).