BOSTON, June 30, 2016—A rapist identified through a DNA match was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for attacking a woman in East Boston – and will only begin that sentence when he completes his current prison sentence on an unrelated conviction, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

A Suffolk Superior Court Jury on Monday convicted THOMAS CRADOCK (D.O.B. 10/27/88) of aggravated rape, assault with intent to murder, aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and aggravated assault and battery. At a hearing yesterday, Suffolk prosecutors recommended that he serve 30 to 35 years in state prison followed by 10 years of probation.

Judge Christine Roach sentenced Cradock to a term of 25 to 30 years in prison followed by 10 years of probation. She granted a request by Burdman that the sentence begin only when Cradock completes the five-year prison sentence he is currently serving on a Plymouth County conviction for beating and stabbing a man in 2012.

Prior to imposing the sentence, Roach heard a devastating impact statement in which the woman Cradock attacked recounted the physical and emotional consequences of the 2011 assault, including difficulty with walking, balance, verbal expression, and trusting others.

“My life will never be the same because of what you did to me,” she told Cradock. “You almost killed me … but I am not broken. I have worked incredibly hard to get my life back, and there is more to come. I am not a victim of your attack on me. I am a survivor. You took my life away from me and I have taken it back.”

During the week-and-a-half-long trial, Assistant District Attorneys Tara Burdman and Elle Rackemann introduced evidence and testimony proving that, in 2011, Cradock lived with his parents at an East Boston address close to the scene of the attack. They also introduced expert testimony showing the inescapable link between biological evidence left by the perpetrator and Cradock’s unique genetic profile.

An East Boston resident called 911 on the morning of Sept. 21, 2011, after observing the woman unconscious and badly injured in a vacant lot. The woman was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital with multiple fractures and bruises across her body. She had suffered a traumatic brain injury and required multiple surgeries.

A rape kit revealed that the woman had been sexually assaulted, and Boston Police criminalists extracted a DNA profile from biological evidence left by the attacker. The profile was uploaded to CODIS, the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System. It remained on file until 2014, when Cradock was convicted in Plymouth County of stabbing and beating a man in Marshfield. Because they were felony convictions, he was ordered to supply a DNA sample to the state’s DNA database, which is shared with CODIS.

The unknown profile from the attack “hit” on Cradock’s profile, Boston Police sexual assault investigators obtained a confirmatory swab of his DNA for comparison with the crime scene evidence, and he was indicted last year.

Sexual assault can happen to anyone. While the victims of any crime should call 911 in an emergency, survivors of sexual violence can also call their local rape crisis center for free and confidential services and to discuss their options.  Services by city and town can be found at www.janedoe.org/find_help/search.

In Suffolk County, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (www.barcc.org) offers a free and confidential 24-hour hotline at 800-841-8371. The Boston Area Rape Crisis Center provides medical accompaniment and many other free services to victims of rape and sexual assault. Suffolk victim-witness advocates can assist in referrals to BARCC and a wide array of non-profit service providers who can offer additional support and services.

Anne Kelley-McCarthy was the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. Cradock was represented by attorney Alyssa Hackett.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.