Nine year sentence for “deplorable” man whose assault left victim with long-term breathing problems
By Charlie Ridler
March 22, 2021

A man who locked a woman in her own home and violently assaulted her after a night out in Sheffield has been sentenced to nine years in prison.

Sergio Debrito, 27, of Lupton Walk, left his victim with serious injuries to her face, a collapsed lung and long-term breathing problems.

DC Shaun Vine, who investigated the crime, said: “This was a terrifying ordeal and left a young woman with serious injuries, Debrito is a violent man who should not be on the streets of our city.

“He was shameless in his actions and revelled in the fear he caused that night, carried out in his victim’s own home. I am pleased to see how seriously the courts have taken his deplorable behaviour and has rightly received a significant sentence for his actions.”

Mr Debrito and another man shared a taxi home with two women in the early hours of Sunday 12 May 2019. The women wanted to go home to bed but the two men invited themselves in for more drinks. After his friend went upstairs to bed feeling unwell, Mr Debrito started taking selfies with the women and became aggressive when asked to stop.

He followed one of the women around the house, locking the front door and knocking her unconscious when she tried retrieve her key. After she came round, he assaulted her again, pushing her against a door.  When the women called the police, he left the house filming the scene on his mobile phone.

Mr Debrito was found guilty of Section 18 assault by a jury at Sheffield Crown Court on 12 March. He was also found not guilty of Section 47 assault.