A RAPIST who lived in Atherton who has been described by a judge as a "sexual predator" faces a life sentence for attacking and strangling a Kearsley mother-of-two.

Andrew Malkinson, aged 38, was found guilty of raping the 33-year-old woman as she walked home alone through Little Hulton following a row with her boyfriend.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was dragged down a motorway embankment off Cleggs Lane, strangled until she was unconscious, raped, and then left for dead.

Judge Michael Henshell said: "The attacker was a sexual predator and the only appropriate sentence is that of life imprisonment.

"The evidence has revealed that she was stalked two thirds of a mile along a deserted road before she was raped and mercilessly beaten."

The victim broke down in tears as the guilty verdict was returned yesterday and whoops of joy came from her friends and family in the public gallery, who stayed with her throughout the seven-day trial at Manchester Crown Court. In a statement outside court, the rape victim described Malkinson as a "monster."

She added: "I'm so glad this man is to be locked away. My only regret is that he will not be locked away forever."

Det Insp Steve Bell, who led the investigation, today praised the victim's courage.

Det Insp Bell added: "She was left with horrific injuries and could easily have died. It is through sheer determination that she managed to survive and help us bring Malkinson to justice.

"I cannot praise her enough for her bravery and courage. Due to the lack of DNA evidence the officers who worked on this case had to rely on old-fashioned police work to catch Malkinson."

The jury spent nine hours deliberating their verdict over two days.

Malkinson was acquitted of attempted murder but was found guilty of attempting to choke, asphyxiate or strangle the woman with the intent to rape her.

He will be sentenced in six weeks time, after psychiatric reports have been compiled.

The woman told the jury how she thought she was going to die at the hands of Malkinson.

She revealed how she desperately fought with him and scratched his face.

But he overpowered her, strangled her until she fell unconscious then raped her.

She managed to scramble up the bank and raised the alarm with a dog walker.

She suffered a broken bone in her neck, a fractured cheekbone, severe cuts and bruising and a swollen eye.

Malkinson, who was born in Grimsby, had lived in Holland for 10 years.

He moved to Walkden just a few weeks before the attack last June with a family he had met in Gran Canaria.

They befriended him and shortly after they flew home, he told them he was flying to Tenerife to look for work.

He later called them to say he had been robbed and had no money. He asked if he could stay with them. He moved in and took a job as a security guard at the Ellesmere Shopping Centre, Walkden.

After a few weeks, he moved out to stay with a colleague in Aspinall Court, Atherton.

Shortly after attacking the woman, he told his friend he was returning to Holland. His friend dropped him off at Manchester Airport, but he never left the country.

He was arrested in Grimsby on August 2 and later charged.

Officers had followed a lead given to them by Little Hulton community officers PCs Christopher Baybutt and Gary Waite - who the judge commended for their part in the conviction.

Following Malkinson's arrest the victim and two other witnesses, who had seen the woman being followed by a man shortly before the attack, picked him out of a police identity parade.