By Staff Reporter

Last updated 10:39, Saturday, 10 May 2008

THE man who carried out a series of sadistic sex attacks on a jogger alongside a Cumbrian cycle path may be locked away for ever.

Danger: Barry Alan Hunter, 33, of Carlisle

A judge described Barry Hunter as a profoundly disturbed individual and told him his crimes were unique in their barbarity.

He then sentenced the 33-year-old, of Newlaithes Avenue, Morton, Carlisle, to an indeterminate prison sentence for public protection. That means the former stonemason, who was high on drunk and drugs when he carried out his vile crimes, will stay behind bars until he is no longer considered a danger to anyone.

And after Hunter was dealt with at the city’s Crown Court yesterday, a senior police officer said: “A very dangerous man has been locked up for a very long time. He may never get out.”

The sex monster was earlier convicted of four counts of sexual assault involving penetration and one of assaulting his victim and causing her actual bodily harm. But it was revealed for the first time yesterday that just hours before he targeted his victim one evening last summer, he had attacked another woman.

That happened in the toilets of the Royal Scot pub at Morton after she had snorted some of the cocaine that he bought earlier.

Hunter grabbed the woman, from behind, around her throat and tried to force her to kiss him. She screamed and tried to fight him off and he fled the premises.

Prosecutor Tim Evans said yesterday: “The Crown say that is an indicator that Hunter was intending to attack a female and to do so with a sexual motive.”

Hunter actually went home for a time before heading to the cycle path near Cummersdale where he targeted a woman who was out jogging. Her identity is protected by law.

Hunter thumped his victim repeatedly in the face, pushed her to the ground and dragged her to a grassed area.

It was then he began to subject her to as a series of sadistic sexual assaults that went on for up to an hour.

He left his victim, who no longer lives in the area, with the worst injuries of a sexual nature that one doctor

The court heard that she could not sleep for days after the attack and could not sit down for long periods for several months. She now finds it difficult to relax and is wary of encountering young men.

The judge told Hunter that he had been responsible for violence that was as bad as anyone could imagine. He represented a serious risk to women. If he had been handing out sentence in the usual way, Hunter would have been jailed for 15 years.

Judge Batty, QC, praised all police officers involved in the case but highlighted the work of five he said should receive a commendation from their Chief Constable.

They were Superintendent Cath Thundercloud, Detective Chief Inspector Paul Duhig, Detective Sergeant Peter Proud, Detective Constable Stewart Robson and Detective Constable Amanda Robinson.

Four teenage boys, who encountered Hunter while they were biking back to the city that evening and were able to pick him out during an identification procedure, will receive cash awards from the High Sheriff of Cumbria later this month.