A man has been sentenced after he entered a woman’s home in Croydon with the purpose of sexually assaulting her.

Frank Rawlings of Chorley Wood Crescent, Orpington was sentenced on Friday, December 8 at Woolwich Crown Court to a hospital order of indeterminate length.

The 38-year-old had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence.

The incident happened in the early hours of September 8 2022 at the woman’s home in Croydon.

She had fallen asleep on the sofa in her living room when she was awoken by a man’s arm across her waist.

Police say she turned round to find Rawlings – who she had never met before - lying next to her with his trousers round his ankles.

The woman shouted at him to get out, and Rawlings left the property.

Police were called and found Rawlings during a search of the surrounding area.

Officers searched a backpack he was carrying and found a sex toy.

Specially trained officers spoke to the woman who confirmed she had not been sexually assaulted, but police say she was “understandably horrified” at how he had managed to get into her property.

Rawlings was arrested and taken into custody where he declined to answer any questions put to him by detectives.

Despite his refusal to talk, forensic analysis of chewing gum found on the sofa provided a match to Rawlings, proving that he had been inside the property.

Detective Constable Sarah Mead led the investigation and 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.”

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “A man has been sentenced after he gained entry into a woman’s house in Croydon with the purpose of sexually assaulting her.

“Frank Rawlings – 38 (14.01.85) of Chorley Wood Crescent, Orpington was sentenced on Friday, 8 December at Woolwich Crown Court to a hospital order of indeterminate length.

“Rawlings had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence.

“The incident happened in the early hours of 8 September 2022 at the woman’s address in Croydon.

“She had fallen asleep on the sofa in her living room when she was awoken by a man’s arm across her waist. She turned round to find Rawlings – who she had never met before - lying next to her with his trousers round his ankles.

“The woman shouted at him to get out, and Rawlings left the property.

“Police were called and located Rawlings during a search of the surrounding area.

“Officers searched a backpack he was carrying and found a sex toy.

“Specially trained officers spoke to the woman who confirmed she had not been sexually assaulted, but was understandably horrified at how Rawlings had managed to get into her property.

“Rawlings was arrested and taken into custody where he declined to answer any questions put to him by detectives.

“Despite his refusal to talk, forensic analysis of chewing gum found on the sofa provided a match to Rawlings, proving conclusively he had been inside the property.”