<p>Delroy Grant dubbed the "Night Stalker" was convicted of attacks on 18 elderly men and women between 1992 and 2009 following a lengthy investigation. Police say the number of Grant's victims is thought to be substantially more than that.<br /><br />Judge Peter Rook said he considered giving Grant a life sentence meaning he could never be released and noted the crimes were so serious they were not covered by normal sentencing guidelines.<br /><br />"Your offending is in a league of its own," he said at Woolwich Crown Court after hearing statements from Grant's victims and their families.<br /><br />The attacker broke into homes, cut phone lines and crept into the bedrooms of his elderly victims during ordeals that lasted for hours. The victims were mostly elderly women; many were blind, deaf or had diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's.<br /><br />Some said the masked man woke them up by shining a flashlight in their faces.<br />The judge said Grant remained "a very dangerous man capable of committing heinous crimes" and that the 53-year-old will not be eligible for parole for 27 years.<br /><br />Police have described Grant's offenses as some of the most "awful and disturbing crimes" Scotland Yard has ever investigated.<br /><br />Grant, a former cab driver, was arrested in 2009 following one of Britain's longest-running manhunts. Police have apologized for missing earlier opportunities to catch Grant, saying the investigation was undermined by "basic policing errors."<br /><br />The Independent Police Complaints Commission said Friday a poor response to a burglary and confusion over a suspect which saw the wrong man's DNA studied prevented Grant from being arrested sooner.<br /><br />"It is clear that a simple misunderstanding had horrific consequences," said Deborah Glass, the watchdog's commissioner for London.</p>
<p>Delroy Grant dubbed the "Night Stalker" was convicted of attacks on 18 elderly men and women between 1992 and 2009 following a lengthy investigation. Police say the number of Grant's victims is thought to be substantially more than that.<br /><br />Judge Peter Rook said he considered giving Grant a life sentence meaning he could never be released and noted the crimes were so serious they were not covered by normal sentencing guidelines.<br /><br />"Your offending is in a league of its own," he said at Woolwich Crown Court after hearing statements from Grant's victims and their families.<br /><br />The attacker broke into homes, cut phone lines and crept into the bedrooms of his elderly victims during ordeals that lasted for hours. The victims were mostly elderly women; many were blind, deaf or had diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's.<br /><br />Some said the masked man woke them up by shining a flashlight in their faces.<br />The judge said Grant remained "a very dangerous man capable of committing heinous crimes" and that the 53-year-old will not be eligible for parole for 27 years.<br /><br />Police have described Grant's offenses as some of the most "awful and disturbing crimes" Scotland Yard has ever investigated.<br /><br />Grant, a former cab driver, was arrested in 2009 following one of Britain's longest-running manhunts. Police have apologized for missing earlier opportunities to catch Grant, saying the investigation was undermined by "basic policing errors."<br /><br />The Independent Police Complaints Commission said Friday a poor response to a burglary and confusion over a suspect which saw the wrong man's DNA studied prevented Grant from being arrested sooner.<br /><br />"It is clear that a simple misunderstanding had horrific consequences," said Deborah Glass, the watchdog's commissioner for London.</p>