Man raped neighbour then offered to landscape her garden to 'make up for it'

The twenty-year-old broke into his neighbour's house and sexually assaulted the woman for an hour and a half

Timothy Walding, 20, has been jailed for 50 years after breaking into a neighbour's home and raping her in 2017. (Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office)

A 20-year-old raped his neighbour and then offered to make up for it by doing work around her house.

Timothy Walding has been jailed for 50 years after sexually assaulting the 35-year-old at her home in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Walding broke into the woman’s house at 4am while wearing a mask to cover his face.

He then tied the woman up, threatened her with a knife and raped her during an attack that lasted 90 minutes, the victim told a court, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

The woman said Walding spoke to her and took off his mask, revealing who he was, after the attack.

He reportedly told his victim she should deadbolt her door because he “really didn’t want to do this but [he] had to do it”.

At one point he offered to “make up for it” by fixing things around the woman’s house or landscaping her garden, reported the local newspaper.

He also warned the victim to keep the rape a secret.

Walding was convicted of sexual battery, false imprisonment, and armed burglary.

The rape conviction carries a minimum sentence of 50 years in prison, while the other two counts will run concurrently.