Rapist held without bail for alleged Randall’s Island sex assault

A rapist who was freed from prison just two days before he allegedly attacked a female jogger on Randall’s Island was ordered held without bail Friday.

Ex-con Howard Shaw, 38, was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court at 1 a.m. on charges of first-degree attempted rape, second-degree strangulation and first-degree sexual abuse in the Randall’s Island attack, according to a criminal complaint.  

He was remanded and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. 

Shaw had been released from state prison on Tuesday after being convicted for a 2005 rape in Queens and serving more than nine years behind bars.

On Thursday morning, he allegedly approached a 54-year-old jogger near the 103rd Street Footbridge on East River Lane on Randall’s Island, according to a criminal complaint. He allegedly put his arm around the victim’s neck and applied pressure, causing her to lose consciousness.

Shaw then got on top of the victim, tried to pull down her pants and told her, “I don’t want to hurt you. I just want sex,” the complaint said. 

Then he tried to put his hand down her pants and grabbed and squeezed her buttocks, according to the complaint. 

The victim suffered bruising and cuts to her face, neck, arms and legs, and substantial pain. 

He was thwarted when a bystander called the police, and he was arrested on scene, cops said. 

Shaw’s next court appearance is Dec. 2.

The suspect also was previously arrested in a 2005 robbery case.

In the 2005 rape case, Shaw was convicted of attacking a 25-year-old woman while she was taking out the trash.