Woman woke in her home to find stranger lying beside her with his trousers down

Frank Rawlings was sentenced to a hospital order of indeterminate length at Woolwich Crown Court (Picture: SWNS/Getty)

A woman who fell asleep on the sofa in her living room woke up to find a stranger lying next to her with his trousers around his ankles.

Frank Rawlings, 38, has been handed a hospital order of indeterminate length after admitting to trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence.

His victim only stirred from her sleep when she felt his arm around her waist in the early hours of September 22 last year.

Horrified, she shouted at him to leave her Croydon home, which he did.

When the police were called and Rawlings was caught, a sex toy was discovered in his backpack.

However, he refused to answer any questions after his arrest.

It took forensic analysis of of chewing gum found in the woman’s sofa to definitively place him at the scene.

The woman confirmed to officers that she had not been sexually assaulted, but was left shaken by the incident.

He was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to trespassing the victim’s home.

Detective Constable Sarah Mead said: ‘This was an extremely distressing incident where a woman woke to find a total stranger in her house.

‘Frank Rawlings has refused to tell us what his intentions were, but the fact that he was partly undressed, lying next to the woman on her sofa gives a clear indication – thankfully, the woman woke up and scared him away.

‘The victim has been extremely brave in supporting this investigation and I hope now that legal proceedings have concluded, she can begin to move on from this distressing incident.

‘Criminality targeting women and girls is a key priority for the Met and we continue to strive to ensure we improve investigations and better support those who put their trust in us. I hope this conviction helps improve that trust.’

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Frank Rawlings was placed at the scene after forensic analysis of chewing gum.