David Sharpe is in prison because he was convicted of raping an 18-year-old student in her room at Leeds in 1977 — a crime that went unsolved for nearly 50 years until a DNA cold case breakthrough identified him in 2023. The 66-year-old from Totnes, Devon, was sentenced to six years in prison at Leeds Crown Court on 23 April 2026.

Who Is David Sharpe?

David Sharpe is a 66-year-old man from Copland Meadow in Totnes, Devon. At the time of his offending in 1977 he was 17 years old — three months short of his 18th birthday — and was living in the Leeds area. In the decades that followed the attack, Sharpe moved hundreds of miles away to the south coast of England, apparently believing the crime would never catch up with him. However, advances in forensic DNA technology and a dedicated cold case review by West Yorkshire Police ultimately led investigators directly to his door nearly half a century later.

The 1977 Attack

In the early hours of 2 October 1977, an 18-year-old young woman was in her room at a student house in Leeds. It was her very first night after moving to the city to begin her university studies. David Sharpe, wearing a ski mask and having surveilled the property beforehand, broke into her room and raped and sexually assaulted her. The attack was a calculated, premeditated act of violence against a young woman who had just arrived in an unfamiliar city.

The crime was reported to police at the time and a forensic investigation was launched, but without the DNA profiling technology available today, no suspect was identified and the case went cold. The victim has carried the trauma of that night for nearly five decades. A restraining order has been imposed preventing Sharpe from making any contact with her.

How Was David Sharpe Caught?

The breakthrough came in 2023 when West Yorkshire Police conducted a cold case review using modern DNA profiling techniques. Scientists were able to obtain a DNA profile from the forensic evidence that had been preserved from the original 1977 investigation. When that profile was run against a national database, it returned a match to a close family member of David Sharpe. Investigators then used familial DNA analysis to trace that profile directly to Sharpe himself, who was found to be a full DNA match for the attacker.

Sharpe was arrested in 2023. The use of familial DNA — where a partial or close-relative match leads investigators to a specific individual — has become an increasingly important tool in resolving cold case crimes in the UK and beyond. This technique has been used to solve cases that had been dormant for decades, bringing justice to victims long after the original offences.

Trial and Conviction

David Sharpe was tried at Leeds Crown Court. He was found guilty of one count of rape and one count of indecent assault arising from the October 1977 attack. The prosecution relied on the DNA evidence, the familial match that led to his identification, and the circumstances of the original offence. The jury returned guilty verdicts on both counts.

The case is a significant example of how cold case investigations using advanced DNA technology can secure justice for victims even when crimes were committed long before modern forensic methods existed. West Yorkshire Police’s cold case unit pursued the matter diligently to bring the conviction.

The Sentence

On 23 April 2026, David Sharpe was sentenced to six years in prison at Leeds Crown Court. The judge took into account that Sharpe was 17 years old — just three months under 18 — at the time of the offending, which was treated as a mitigating factor under sentencing guidelines for historical offences involving juvenile perpetrators. Despite this reduction, the court made clear that the impact of the crime on the victim had been profound and enduring.

Sharpe has been placed on the sex offenders register for life and is subject to an indefinite restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim. He is serving his sentence in the UK prison estate. For families who need to maintain contact with someone serving a prison sentence, information on how to book a prison visit and how to send money to a prisoner is available on this site.

Cold Case DNA Investigations in the UK

The conviction of David Sharpe is the latest in a series of high-profile cold case convictions secured through advances in forensic DNA technology. In recent years, UK police forces have invested significantly in reviewing unsolved historic crimes using modern profiling methods that were simply unavailable when the original offences were investigated. Familial DNA searching — matching crime scene profiles against profiles of relatives held on national databases — has proved particularly powerful in identifying suspects in cases where no direct database hit exists.

Cold case convictions not only deliver justice for individual victims but also send a clear message that serious crimes, including historical sexual offences, will not simply be forgotten. The Parole Board will oversee David Sharpe’s case during his sentence and any future licence period following release.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is David Sharpe in prison?

David Sharpe is in prison because he was convicted of raping and sexually assaulting an 18-year-old university student in Leeds on 2 October 1977. He was identified nearly 50 years later through a familial DNA cold case review and was sentenced to six years in prison at Leeds Crown Court on 23 April 2026.

How old was David Sharpe when he committed the rape?

David Sharpe was 17 years old at the time of the 1977 attack — three months short of his 18th birthday. His age at the time of offending was treated as a mitigating factor when the court came to determine his sentence, resulting in a reduced term compared to what an adult offender would typically receive for the same crimes.

How was David Sharpe identified after nearly 50 years?

Sharpe was identified through a familial DNA cold case review conducted by West Yorkshire Police in 2023. Scientists matched DNA from the original 1977 crime scene evidence to a close family member of Sharpe held on a national DNA database. That familial match led investigators to Sharpe himself, who was a full DNA match for the attacker. He was arrested in 2023 and convicted following trial.

What sentence did David Sharpe receive?

David Sharpe was sentenced to six years in prison. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and is subject to a restraining order prohibiting contact with the victim. The sentence was reduced from what an adult offender would have received because Sharpe was 17 at the time of the offending.

What happened to the victim of David Sharpe?

The victim, who was 18 years old when she was raped on her first night at university in Leeds in 1977, has carried the trauma of the attack for nearly 50 years. She has been protected by a court-imposed restraining order preventing Sharpe from contacting her. Her identity has not been publicly disclosed, as victims of sexual offences are entitled to lifelong anonymity under UK law.