Man sexually assaulted 80-year-olds over 17 years

A 53-year-old man has been charged with sexually assaulting vulnerable octogenarians, including an Alzheimer's and a Parkinson's patient, over a 17-year period, a media report said.

Delroy Grant, a married father of nine - dubbed the Night Stalker - allegedly conducted a planned series of rapes, sexual assaults and burglaries targeting both men and women, most of them in their eighties, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The cab driver from Brockley, southeast London, wore a mask, cut the telephone lines and removed light bulbs before striking, always at night, prosecutors told the Woolwich Crown Court.

Among the victims was an 82-year-old woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease and an 83-year-old man, who was partly blind, deaf and suffered from Parkinson's disease.

The eldest victim was 89.

The alleged offences took place between 1992 and 2009 at 18 addresses across south London, the prosecution said.

Grant raped or attempted to rape four of his elderly victims and carried out indecent and sexual assaults against seven others.

The court was told Grant's DNA was recovered at 12 of the 18 incident sites.

Grant has, however, denied all charges, claiming that his ex-wife had conspired with a male friend to frame him for the crimes.