8 Year Jail Sentence for Rapist
Posted on October 15, 2008
Filed Under General News
A sex attacker who beat up a woman and then raped her has been jailed.
Gareth Smith subjected his terrified victim to a frenzy of blows before he forced himself on her.
Smith set upon the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in March this year.
He dragged her into his flat in Portsmouth where he pinned her to the floor and raped her.
The 30-year-old then told his victim to wash herself.
She required hospital treatment for swelling around her eye and extensive bruising but did not tell doctors that she had been raped.
The victim eventually contacted police a few days later to report the sex attack and Smith was arrested.
After a trial at Portsmouth Crown Court, Smith, of Allaway Avenue, Paulsgrove, was jailed for eight years.
Police today welcomed the sentence. Detective Constable Kristy O’Brien, from Portsmouth CID, said: “We welcome the sentence, which signifies the end of a long and difficult journey for the victim.”
‘I’d encourage others suffering this kind of abuse to speak out and contact the police, because we take offences such as these very seriously.
“I’d like to thank everyone involved in this investigation for their professionalism and commitment, and also to the victim for her full co-operation and support throughout.”
A jury found Smith guilty of two counts of rape and one count of assault causing actual bodily harm. Smith had denied all the charges and forced his victim to go through the ordeal of re-living her experiences during the trial.
He is likely to serve four years behind bars before he is released into the community on licence.
During the licence period he will be supervised by the probation service.
Smith will also remain on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.
He will have to tell police where he is living at all times and if he moves home.
Treetops Care
- The Treetops Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Northern Road, Cosham, saw 370 victims in its first year.
- Of those, 337 victims (91%) were referred by police and 37 were men.
- In total 33 victims seen (9 %) were aged under 16.
- 52 people referred to the centre (14 per cent) were victims of domestic violence and 74% were vulnerable adults.
- A total of 311 victims underwent a forensic examination.
- Staff started offering service to teenagers ages 13-16 in May 2007 to supplement limited paediatric facilities available in the county.
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