The victim, in her 60s, was punched up to 30 times in a hospital toilet as her attacker roamed free on licence

A hospital assault case has ended with a convicted rapist receiving a life sentence for brutally attacking a woman in a hospital toilet.

Lee Mullen, 38, carried out the sickening assault on a woman in her 60s, punching her between 25 and 30 times before sexually assaulting her. The vicious attack took place in a hospital in North Wales, leaving the victim fearing for her life as she desperately tried to escape. Even as she played dead, Mullen continued his relentless assault, striking her twice more.

Her only chance of survival came when her husband, growing concerned by her prolonged absence, went looking for her. His intervention forced Mullen to flee the scene. But in his rush to escape, the predator left behind a crucial clue—a bag with the patient he was visiting.

Police quickly tracked him down and arrested him. Mold Crown Court heard that Mullen had been out on licence at the time of the attack, having previously been jailed in 2015 for violent rape. Despite his past crimes, he was free to walk the streets, and in this case, a hospital corridor, where he found his next victim.

Fuelled by alcohol and cocaine, Mullen showed no mercy as he launched his violent attack. The victim later recalled believing she would never make it out alive. “I thought I was going to die,” she told the court, describing the horror of the prolonged beating.

The judge, appalled by the sheer brutality of the crime, handed Mullen a life sentence, ruling that he must serve a minimum of seven years before being considered for parole. Branding him an “extremely dangerous sexual predator,” the judge made it clear that Mullen posed a grave threat to society.

This case has reignited concerns over the monitoring of high-risk offenders released on licence. How was a violent rapist allowed back into the public without stricter supervision? And why was he free to roam a hospital, where vulnerable people were at risk?

The hospital assault case has left the victim facing a long road to recovery, despite relief over the sentencing. She and her husband have spoken about the deep trauma caused by the attack. While justice has been served, the case is a stark reminder that even hospitals—meant to be places of care and safety—are not immune to such dangers.