A seven-year-old girl saved her mother from a nigh

A seven-year-old girl saved her mother from a nightmare
sex attack by dialing 999, an Old Bailey jury heard today (Wed).

The would-be rapist, who had climbed through a kitchen
window and attacked the 31-year-old mum in her bedroom, fled
after the quick-thinking daughter’s telephone call to police,
said prosecutor Mr Richard McGregor-Johnson.

Peter Bass, a 38-year-old photographer, of Brunswick
Close, Hampton Road, Twickenham, Middx.

, denies burglary with
intent to rape and indecent assault on June 11, this year.

The jury heard that the woman, also from Twickenham,
awoke about 1.

30am on June 11, this year, to find Bass in her
bedroom, which she shared with a second child, a toddler.

‘She saw a shadow in the doorway and was very frightened,’
said counsel.

The defendant identified himself by saying: ‘It’s me,
Peter’, and told her he had climbed through an open kitchen
window, implying she had left it ajar deliberately so he could
visit her during the night, said Mr McGregor-Johnson.

Bass allegedly told her: ‘This is going to be your lucky
night’, the court heard.

Counsel said: ‘The woman got up from her bed and tried
to scream for help out of her bedroom window.

‘But he pulled her back on to the bed and snarled:
”Let’s see what you’ve got to offer.

”
Throughout the alleged attack, the baby screamed in her
cot, the jury heard.

Ignoring the child Bass yanked up the woman’s T-shirt
nightie and molested her, alleged counsel.

‘Fortunately, she continued to scream and woke up her
seven-year-old daughter,’ said counsel.

‘She told her daughter to dial 999 and call the police
and the girl did so.

‘
The attacker shouted abuse at the woman and then laughed,
the court heard, before fleeing.

Police arrived minutes later and after taking a statement
from the woman arrested the defendant, who was known to her, later
that day.

When interviewed, he admitted to police that he had been
drinking and crawled through her open kitchen window.

But he denied any ‘physical contact’ with her.

He said he had been chatting with her while sitting on
her bed before she suddenly started screaming.

‘The defendant said he now regretted what he had done,’
said counsel.

The trial continues.