Damaged & defenceless

Predators like George Metcalff exploit society's weakness by targeting vulnerable women who mean nothing to them

- JANE HAMILTON

PREDATORS seek out their prey with stealth and cunning before embarking on a manipulative campaign of grooming prior to abusing and in rare cases fatally harming their victim.

Exploiting weaknesses in their victim comes from a sixth sense which allows them to tailor their tactics to fit the vulnerabilities of their targets.

For 50 years George Metcalff, a former manager of tyre centres, covered up his abuse of women which culminated in the murder of a vulnerable woman who had trusted him.

Patricia Henry, who had battled alcohol problems, was described as “broken" by prosecutors at Metcalff's trial.

Metcalff, 71, took advantage of her vulnerabilities by pretending to be a friendly old man who lent her money and did her shopping - all of which made her reliant on him.

But Patricia, 46, a loving mum and daughter, was being controlled, coerced and raped by the evil pervert.