Man who raped woman while she slept is jailed for four years (From The Northern Echo)

Man who raped woman while she slept is jailed for four years

8:00am Monday 13th February 2012 in Darlington By Neil Hunter

A CALL centre worker who walked into a police station and said “I think I’ve raped someone” has been jailed for nearly four years.

Iain Hathaway’s victim woke from a drunken slumber after a party to find the 28- year-old in her bed having sex with her.

Teesside Crown Court heard how he later went back into the bedroom and told the distraught woman: “I can’t believe what I’ve done.”

Hours later, he made his police station confession, but before officers could interview him, he had second thoughts and started to lie.

Prosecutor Simon Reevell told Judge Tony Briggs: “He gave a different and more self-serving account which amounted to a denial.”

Hathaway, of Powlett Street, Darlington, maintained his denials until he was to stand trial last month, when he pleaded guilty to rape.

Judge Briggs jailed him for three years and nine months and ordered him to sign on to the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life.

“Your plea saved the complainant the unhappy experience of giving evidence about what was clearly a distressing event,” the judge said.

“That is a matter of great importance, even if it has come late in the day. However, custody is inevitable in relation to this matter.”

The judge was shown what he described as “impressive”

references from people who spoke highly of the customer services worker.

Mark Styles, mitigating, said: “He presents as a decent, hard-working young man who has attempted to hold down gainful employment.

“He did have the good sense to plead guilty, ultimately... it is a pity he didn’t make a full confession to the police that afternoon.

“He is not a predator. He is not someone who is going to come back and cause this court any sort of difficulty.

“He apologises for his conduct.

“He is going to have to rebuild his life once he has served this sentence.”

In a victim impact statement, the woman said the ordeal had affected her work, and described how her social life had suffered.