A taxi driver who wrestled a chamber maid to the ground in Liphook and forced her to perform a sex act on him was caught 16 years later when police traced him by his DNA.

Robert Sargent, who wore womenÕs underwear during the attack, was this week starting a four year jail sentence after he admitted assaulting the 18-year -old woman in Liphook in 1987.

He had been driving along the old A3 on the outskirts of the village at 10.30 pm when he spotted the young woman walking home following a shift at a nearby hotel, a court heard.

Sargent, then 39, pulled into a layby ahead of the chamber maid near the Iron Bridge close to Liphook golf course and lay in wait.

As she walked past his car he jumped out and grabbed her before dragging the terrified teenager through bushes at the roadside.

On wasteland, he then pinned her to the ground and dropped his trousers to reveal a pair of womanÕs knickers before assaulting her.

Prosecutor Margaret Currie said: ÒShe was dragged and then frogmarched onto wasteland. He told her that if she screamed he would break her neck and then he indecently assaulted her.

ÒAfter the attack he became a completely different character. He helped her up and apologised and said not to tell the police.Ó

Winchester Crown Court heard the teenager later reported her ordeal to police but they were unable to trace her abuser.

It was not until 2002 that Sargent, now 54, was arrested and cautioned for possessing cannabis.

As a matter of routine police took finger prints and a DNA sample.

When fed into a computer system with records of unsolved crimes, this sample provided a perfect match with DNA taken from the scene in Liphook.

The court heard the chances of the DNA belonging to anyone else were one in a billion.

Officers then went to the taxi driverÕs home in Horley, Surrey, and arrested him for the indecent assault.

When Sargent was interviewed about the attack he made a full confession and pleaded guilty to indecent assault when he appeared at court.

The hearing was told the father of two had previous convictions for indecent exposure.

Judge Tom Longbotham jailed him for four years, saying Sargent was still a danger to women. He was also placed on the sex offendersÕ register.

The judge told Sargent: ÒYou escaped detection for so many years. However, you have been assessed as being at high risk of committing such offences again and you must have a custodial sentence.Ó

After the case SargentÕs victim, who lives in Manchester, described her ordeal.

The single mum, who is now aged 34, said: ÒWhen he said he was going to break my neck, that was the point where I stopped fighting and let it happen. It was all about self-preservation.

ÒI had literally only just turned 18. I was very much still a teenager but I got hurled into adulthood with one hell of a kick.

ÒIf I did not do what he said he could have killed me. I felt he was capable of doing it. He could have snapped my neck and just walked away.Ó

Talking to The Herald about the painstaking work that went into tracking down Sargent and the successful police prosecution, Detective Sergeant Doug Utting said: ÒWe are very pleased with the result.Õ

He decided in 1999 to search to see what could be done about reviewing cases where DNA evidence was established.

ÒAlthough the paperwork for these older cases had quite often disappeared, forensic science is constantly changing. Older cases tend to be more difficult ones DNA is good news.

ÒThis reflects the determination of the Hampshire force not to close these cases until every line of of enquiry has been exhausted,Ó said DS Utting.