Hampshire man jailed for 22 years for 'brutal' early-morning rape in park

Luke West, 29, of Southampton, was found guilty following a trial at Winchester Crown Court of rape and grievous bodily harm against the woman in the attack which happened in Lower Gardens in Bournemouth town centre.

Judge Keith Cutler sentenced him to 16 years in custody with an extended licence period of six years.

A third charge of possessing an extreme pornographic image was ordered to lie on file.

Robert Bryan, prosecuting, told the trial that the victim, in her 40s, feared she would be killed during the attack in which West grabbed her from behind and put both hands round her neck.

He said Dorset Police received a 999 call at 6.11am on November 13 reporting that the victim had been ‘badly injured’.

He said: ‘The person who had been attacked was naked, badly injured and semi-conscious, she had been violently, physically assaulted and had been raped.’

Mr Bryan said the victim suffered bruising and cuts to her face, with injuries to her jaw and a fractured eye socket.

He said: ‘All the time, she thought he wanted to kill her as there were times she couldn't breathe.’

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He added that intimate swabs taken from the victim had a DNA match that was a billion times more likely to have come from the defendant than another male.

Detective Inspector Wayne Seymour, of Dorset Police, said: ‘This was a despicable offence, which saw Luke West subject his victim not only to a terrifying sexual attack but also a brutal physical assault.

‘While it can be of little consolation to the victim in this case, thankfully incidents of this nature are extremely rare in this area and I am grateful to all the officers and police staff who worked tirelessly on this investigation so that we were able to swiftly identify West as the suspect and apprehend him.

‘Finally, I would like to praise the victim for the incredible bravery she has shown in supporting the investigation.

‘She has been through a truly horrific ordeal and for her to have shown the courage to give evidence at trial and help bring this dangerous offender to justice, I hope will inspire others who have been subjected to such terrible offences and help give them the strength to come forward.’

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