A MAN who ignored a woman’s pleas to stop, during a rape ordeal, later boasted: “She wouldn’t give us it, so I took it anyway,” when challenged about the incident.

The comment would come back to haunt Robert Jeavons, as it formed part of the evidence against him as the case of rape came to court.

Appearing at a Durham Crown Court plea hearing in March, the 34-year-old defendant denied three counts of rape alleged against him.

A trial was set, with a three-day time estimate, to be staged at the court, in September this year.

But on the day the victim appeared for her pre-trial recording of her evidence, last month, Jeavons changed his plea to guilty, relating to one of the alleged incidents.

The plea was accepted by the Crown and the other two alleged rape charges were left to lie on the file.

Read more: Durham Crown Court pilots courtroom protections for rape victims

Giving her impact statement at the sentencing hearing at court, the rape victim addressed Jeavons and said: “It’s not okay what you have done to us.

“You have destroyed my life. I will never forgive you for what you have done.”

She said she now struggles to sleep, but when she does, she suffers nightmares recalling the ordeal.

But she pledged that despite the effects, mentally and physically, of the incident. she “can and will” attempt to get on with her life.

Robin Turton, prosecuting, said the defendant, living at an address in Norfolk Street, Sunderland, recently, has a single unrelated caution on his record for sexual activity with a child under 16, dating from 2008.

Ian West, in mitigation, said that previous incident was when Jeavons was aged only 21, at the time.

He said by pleading to the current offence when he did, it was well in advance of the full scheduled trial and saved three days of the court’s time.

Judge James Adkin said it was still only on the day the victim was to give her evidence in the case but he agreed to give Jeavons 15 per cent discount on his sentence to mark the guilty plea.

He said the defendant had intercourse with the woman despite her telling him to stop, but, later, “effectively confessed”.

Imposing a total sentence of 61 months’ imprisonment, five years and one month, he also made Jeavons subject to a lifetime restraining order, prohibiting any attempt to contact or approach the victim.

The defendant will also be subject to notification as a sex offender, also for life.

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