A MINICAB driver stands accused of being the serial rapist, dubbed the Night Stalker, who carried out a string of burglaries and sex attacks on elderly men and women over the course of 17 years across south east London.

Delroy Grant, aged 53, of Brockley Mews, Brockley, is on trial at Woolwich Crown Court accused of 16 burglaries, two attempted burglaries, three rapes, one attempted rape, one sexual assault and six indecent assaults.

Grant’s 29 offences are alleged to have taken place between 1992 and 2009 with most of the victims were in their 80s and lived alone at addresses in Bromley, Beckenham, Orpington, Forest Hill, Shirley and Croydon.

The jury heard that DNA samples and tool marks found at victims’ addresses linked Grant with the offences.

In the first of the attacks in 1992, it is alleged Grant raped an 89-year-old woman at her home in Shirley and pressed down on her face so hard her false teeth were dislodged.

It wasn’t until six years later in 1998 that Grant struck again and attempted to rape an 81-year-old woman, referred to as Mrs B, at her home in Warlingham, the court heard.

Jonathan Laidlaw said: “He was calm and in her witness statement the victim described him as speaking nicely.”

The court was told Grant searched her room using torchlight before climbing on her bed and attacking her.

Mr Laidlaw said: “It was not simply a frightening and degrading experience to which the defendant subjected Mrs B but it was also an extremely painful one.”

During the summer of 1999 the jury heard Grant carried out six further burglaries and an attempted burglary, during which he indecently assaulted three of his victims and raped two old ladies, one aged 82, the other 88.

In a burglary in Beckenham on June 20, a Mrs C, avoided any sexual assault after striking out and pleading for her attacker to leave.

The court heard that in Coulsdon on July 4, Grant attacked a 77-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease after waking him at the foot of his bed asking him for money.

Mr Laidlaw said: “The victim said he was dragged from his bed and frogmarched to the hall where he showed the intruder money he kept in a small wooden box. There was £17.

“The defendant took [the victim] back to the bedroom where he was struck.”

Around one week later on July 11, it is alleged Grant indecently assaulted an 82-year-old woman, Mrs F, at her home in Addiscombe.

Mr Laidlaw said: “Mrs F asked him not to hurt her and she describes the intruder’s manner as ‘almost respectful, he was not violent or aggressive’.”

The court heard that when Grant left Mrs F’s home, she said ‘thank you for not hurting me’.

Mr Laidlaw said: “And with that the defendant shook her by the hand, pushed her back from the door and then left.”

That same month on July 29 another 82-year-old woman in Addiscombe was raped at her home.

In another assault days later on August 4, an 88-year-old woman woke at around 3am to find a black man standing over her, the court heard.

Mr Laidlaw said: “Her description of him was black, clean-shaven, oblong puffy face with a forceful look.

“Her intruder was shining a torch in her face.”

The jury was told that the following night Grant raped an 88-year-old widow at her home in Orpington.

The prosecution said the victim recalled her attacker was “completely covered from head to foot in what she describes as a cat type suit”.

Mr Laidlaw said: “He covered the victim’s face and mouth and whispered ‘Don’t scream I won’t hurt you’.”

The victim described the attack as “brutal and dreadful” with pain “searing right up inside me”.

Jurors were told this was his last rape and the reason he stopped may have been due to advances in forensic science.

The court was told that Grant didn’t strike again until October 13 in 2002 when he indecently assaulted a 77-year-old woman at her home in Shirley.

Mr Laidlaw said: “The defendant said something like ‘I want to tie you up’.

“He was aggressive and he was pushing down upon the victim with all his body weight.”

Grant denies all charges.

The trial continues.