An 89-year-old widow was murdered and sexually assaulted when a man, 23, crept into her house and attacked as she slept.

Reece Dempster, 23, pleaded guilty to the murder and sexual assault of Dorothy Woolmer after changing his pleas to three offences part-way through his Old Bailey trial.

Dempster showed little emotion as he stood to enter fresh pleas, admitting one count of murder and two of sexual assault by penetration.

Mrs Woolmer, who suffered from the bone condition osteoporosis, was brutally killed in her own bed in August.

Dorothy also suffered head injuries, multiple fractures to the bones in her face and a fracture to her right thigh, detectives said.

The injuries were likely to be the result of her being repeatedly punched, kicked or beaten with a blunt object.

Police released further footage showing Dempster casually walking past the crime scene with his family members on seven separate occasions the day after the attack.

Forensic evidence strongly linked Dempster to the attack and two bottles of alcohol from Dorothy's home were recovered at an address in Spottons Grove.

Some of the fingerprints at the scene were bloody, indicating they had been left after the vicious attack, and his DNA was found on the truncheon used to assault Dorothy.

Sickening new details have emerged of the attack which cops described as one of the most disturbing they have ever encountered.

CCTV showed Dempster breaking into his victim's north London home at around 9.40pm on August 3rd, 2019, before leaving in the early hours of the next morning.

The trial judge, His Honour Mr Justice Edis, told jurors: "I know how upsetting it would have been for all of you to have had to hear the evidence, had these events not happened."

The defendant will be sentenced on Thursday.

Dempster attacked the victim in the night after breaking into her home and searching her property for cash, a court heard.

It is said the defendant was "keen to feed his lust for drugs and alcohol".

A pathology report suggested the victim had suffered 10 or more blows to the head.

He armed himself with a truncheon he found in a downstairs cupboard after entering the home.

The burglar fled the scene the next morning with some money and two bottles of alcohol, jurors were told.

He allegedly told his former partner Nikita Richards he "only got a hundred quid – it wasn't even worth it".

Mrs Woolmer's lifeless and bloodied body was found, semi-naked, in her bed by her sister and a close friend who were concerned when the "independent and feisty" pensioner failed to answer the door or respond to phone calls.

Outlining the case, prosecutor Anthony Orchard QC told jurors how Dempster had carried out some gardening work for the victim the previous month, and returned to burgle it.

"He had 'cased the premises'," Mr Orchard said.

He knew a vulnerable elderly lady lived there.

"CCTV evidence that evening indicates he may have been drinking, but he clearly knew what he was doing."

Mr Orchard said Dempster broke in some time after 10.47pm, and found Mrs Woolmer asleep in bed.

"He attacked her, battering her about the head numerous times, probably because he wanted to know where the money was kept, before sexually assaulting her," Mr Orchard said.

He left the family home with his father, nine minutes later, wearing a change of clothes, jurors were told.

The court heard how Dempster made several journeys on foot in the area in the hours after the alleged murder, including coming "metres away" from the crime scene.

Mr Orchard described how Dempster's demeanour became "stressed" as police began to suspect his involvement, with DNA evidence allegedly linking him to the case.

The court heard Dempster told former partner Ms Richards how he was "completely f****d" after smoking crack and drinking "three or four bottles of gin".

He told Nikita Richards: "Nik, I need to tell you something.

"The other night I was around my dad's house with my Dad and (Dempster's brother) Aaron.

"We were smoking crack and drinking three or four bottles of gin and I was completely f***ed.

"I went off and I went to rob a house. I think I hurt someone."

The court heard Ms Richards asked what he meant, and Dempster replied: "I just blacked out and then I turned a light on and there was blood everywhere.

"And then I ran."

He added: "It's really bad, it's really bad. I wasn't expecting anyone to be in there.

"I'm going to be in so much trouble."

Mr Orchard told jurors: "He went there for money and came back with it. He knew exactly what he was doing.

"Tragically Dorothy Woolmer was killed due to Reece Dempster's need to feed his lust for drugs and alcohol."

Mr Justice Edis, warned jurors the case would involve 'some very sad and some very disturbing evidence' about what happened.

But he said: "You will have a strong emotional reaction to what happened in this case – that is just inevitable.

"You will have to make an effort sometimes just to stand back from the horror."

Det. Ins. Garry Moncrieff who led the investigation said: “My heart goes out to Dorothy’s family, I know they have struggled to come to terms with the manner of her death and I would ask the media to respect their strong desire for privacy.

"I am sure anyone who knows the details of the case will know why they do not wish to relive the anguish.

“This case was one of the most disturbing I have ever encountered. Even the most experienced officers were shocked at the extent of the violence and the depth of the defendant’s depravity.

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Friends and family described Dorothy as a very independent woman who did her own cleaning and looked after herself.

In a statement, Dorothy’s family said: “Dot was a wonderful, full of life, beautiful woman. She was a sister, wife, aunty and dear friend to many.

"She was independent and was so full of life. Family was everything to her and she was everything to us.

"The events surrounding Dot’s death have brought extreme amounts of heartache and stress to our entire family. She was taken from us in such a cruel way."

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