A RAPIST who was caught 15 years after his attack was jailed for eight years yesterday.

Andrew Russell, 31, was trapped after DNA taken when he was arrested for criminal damage on Merseyside last year was linked to a terrifying rape in the North-East in 1989.

Russell left his Teesside home only months after the sex attack and spent almost ten years travelling the world with the Army before he was kicked out for assaulting a fellow soldier.

He denied all knowledge of the rape but was found guilty last month after a trial in which the victim, who was 28 at the time of the attack, had to re-live the ordeal for the jury.

Russell, of The Wirral, Merseyside, smirked at security guards as he was led away from the dock at Teesside Crown Court yesterday.

His victim, who was in the public gallery with her husband and police officers, was said to have been pleased with the outcome of the case.

The Recorder of Middlesbrough, Judge Peter Fox, QC, told Russell: "It is small, if any, account that it happened so long ago.

"The terror which you caused her, the consequences of the violence that you perpetrated against her, are none the less, and to a degree they have been revived all these years later."

Following the case, Detective Superintendent Tony Hutchinson, who led the inquiry, paid tribute to the victim.

The woman had striven to rebuild her life since the original manhunt came to an end in the early 1990s, getting married and having two children.

"Without her bravery and determination we would not be where we are today," he said.

"We walked back into her life 15 years after this attack occurred and the easy option for her and her family would have been not to become involved in the new investigation.

"We are all delighted for her and I am pleased that Andrew Russell has been taken out of circulation.

"This was a despicable act upon a defenceless young woman and I am pleased that Russell's past has caught up with him."

Defence barrister, Daren Samat, told the court that Russell had been interviewed by a probation worker but was unable to talk about the offence, although he was beginning to recognise the impact his attack has had.

"He did state that he felt devastated for the victim," said Mr Samat.

"Maybe in time, he may be able to confront his past and deal with the issues that he cannot deal with at this stage."