A 15-YEAR-OLD has been jailed for six years for the rape of a 22-year-old woman at knifepoint in Golborne, near Leigh.

The boy, who was 14 at the time of the offence, was found guilty of rape at Liverpool Crown Court on September 9.

The case was adjourned for sentencing until Thursday.

The woman had been drinking at The Hare and Hounds Public House on Golborne Road with friends in June last year.

As she walked home along Thirlmere Road shortly after 11.30pm, she saw a figure standing at the end of the street.

Soon after, a youth armed with a knife put his arm around her shoulder. The 14-year-old held the knife to the woman's face and told her not to scream.

He walked her across the road and into a field where she was forced to walk along a footpath and into a wooded area.

Once there, the boy raped the woman before running off.

Detective Constable Jason Eddison from Leigh CID said: "This was a terrifying attack for the victim. She was put in fear for her life whilst being marched at knifepoint into a secluded woodland area.

"Any sexual offence is despicable and an horrific ordeal for the victim. This incident is made even more harrowing by the age of the offender."