Predator Alec Housden Faces Justice Over Shocking Kidnappings
Alec Housden, 60, from Dunstable, was back in the dock at St. Albans Crown Court yesterday. The vile offender, already guilty of two heinous kidnappings and sexual assaults from the early 2000s, faced a fresh kidnapping charge linked to a 2004 incident. But the courtroom drama took a stunning twist.
2004 Kidnapping Charge Collapses
On September 12, 2023, Housden was accused of abducting a 12-year-old girl in Harpenden on March 17, 2004. However, the judge ruled the prosecution couldn’t use Housden’s 2002 admissions against him for this charge. Without this key evidence, the Crown dropped the case and Housden was found not guilty for the 2004 kidnapping.
Prior Guilty Pleas Reveal Horror
- In June 2023, Housden admitted kidnapping and indecently assaulting a 16-year-old girl in Harpenden on August 7, 2002.
- He also pleaded guilty to a second kidnapping and assault that occurred on June 1, 2002, at the same location.
Sentencing Looms for Housden
Despite the 2004 charge collapse, Housden remains behind bars. The judge confirmed sentencing is scheduled for December 18, warning a lengthy prison term is imminent.
“The investigation into the kidnaps and two serious sexual assaults was never closed, and we have remained in contact with the victims,” said Detective Inspector Justine Jenkins of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit. “In June 2022, we reviewed all evidence including forensic details. A DNA match in April 2023 sealed Housden’s fate. With overwhelming evidence, we brought him to justice.”
