Man rapes mum twice in cemetery as she laid flowers on son's grave

A brutal sex attacker was jailed for life today after he twice raped a grieving mother as she placed flowers on the grave of her six-year-old son.

The mourning woman was visiting the grave in the garden of remembrance at a crematorium when the rapist struck, knocking her unconscious with a small brass and ceramic statue he snatched from a gravestone.
A judge heard how vile Christopher Rode carried out the double rape as the mother, who he did not know, was visiting her son's grave.
Rode muttered the chilling words

"I will kill you" as he forced his victim to the ground and covered her mouth with his hand to stop her from screaming.

He knocked his victim out cold after striking her at least four times in the head with the grave memento he had stolen before ripping off her clothes and raping her.
The judge was told that the victim begged for mercy as she told Rode it was the anniversary of her son's tragic death.
Rode showed little remorse however as he left the helpless woman cowering on the ground surrounded by a pool of blood.
Judge John Reddihough heard that Rode's victim had finished tidying her six-year-old child's grave and was about to walk back to her car when she heard a rustle coming from a bush.
The 56-year-old turned around to see Rode charging towards her but was unable to react before he knocked her unconscious.The victim managed to flag down a passing car following the horrifying ordeal, on May 9 this year, who took her to a nearby hospital.