A sex beast who held a woman against her will and indecently assaulted her was found guilty two decades later.

Mario Sardo was arrested after a case review in 2010 when his DNA, taken from the victim, was matched through the national database.

The 44-year-old assaulted a woman in a car park in Chessington on Sunday 8,1990.

She had been a work function on the Purley Way and ordered a taxi to take her home.

When the cab did not appear, she decided to walk down the road to find another cab. She noticed a car, being driven by Sardo and containing a male passenger, approaching slowly behind her.

Sardo offered her a lift into Purley but instead of dropping her off at home, he drove her to a secluded car park adjacent to Chessington World of Adventures.

He attacked the victim, indecently assaulting her, she was then allowed to leave the car, and called the police from a house nearby.

DNA evidence was recovered but at the time, but police could not match it to a suspect and so stored it until a review by the Sapphire Team last year.

He was arrested on suspicion of attempted rape and indecent assault and charged with both offences on February 1.

He is due to be sentenced on June 20.

Detective Constable Alyson Suddick, who led the reinvestigation for the cold case Sapphire team, said: "I hope this result gives some sense of closure to the victim who has had to live with this horrifying ordeal for over 20 years.

"This decision proves that men like Sardo will not evade justice, not matter what length of time passes, and that the MPS will continue to pursue criminals through all means available to us."