Rape is one of the most degrading and harmful acts one human being can commit to another. Victims of such and offence are usually left traumatised for life and suffering a range of physical and mental issues as a result.
Rightfully victims of rape and other sexual offences are provided with lifelong anonymity to protect their identity. But the perpetrators of such a crime are often made subject to lifelong sexual harm prevention orders and in many cases remain a danger for the rest of their lives.
Here is a roundup of the rapists and sexual offenders who have appeared in front of Welsh court during the last 12 months. Included is a summary of the offences for which they were convicted.
Read more court stories here
Hughie Janes
Hughie James, 27, raped an 11-year-old and said he believed children of primary school age know what sexual activity is and "they want it". He abused the boy in Carmarthenshire, raping the child while putting his hand over the youngster's mouth and then performing oral sex on him.
He later said he thought he was giving pleasure to the boy he raped, and he does not think he committed an offence. The defendant had previously pleaded guilty to raping a child under 13 and to causing a child to engage in sexual activity.
Recorder IWL Jones told Janes: "You are dangerous. There is a significant risk that you will commit further specified offences and, by doing so, you will cause further serious physical or psychological harm to one or more people." Janes was sentenced to 12-and-a-half year extended sentence comprising six-and-a-half years custody followed by an extended six-year licence period.
James Thomas
James Thomas, 42, spent years sexually abusing two young vulnerable girls and carried out a "campaign of rape". The abuse started when one of the victims was aged just five.
The defendant was convicted following trial at Swansea Crown Court after denying 21 offences including oral, anal and vaginal rape. The court heard victim statements from the two young girls he abused in which they detailed the psychological impact the sexual offending has had on their lives including feeling scared around men, feeling isolated, suffering with nightmares and flashbacks, and resorting to self-harming to mask the emotional pain.
Judge Catherine Richards told Thomas he had targeted and manipulated two young and vulnerable girls and subjected one to what could properly be called a "campaign of rape". She said having heard all the evidence in the case and having read a pre-sentence report on the defendant she was satisfied that he posed a significant risk of committing further sexual offences against young girls and that an extended sentence was necessary to protect the public.
Thomas, of Carmarthen, was given a 24-year extended sentence comprising 22 years in custody followed by a two-year licence period. He will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.
Michael Tustin
Michael Tustin, 33, lied his victim with Apple Sourz and and filmed himself raping her on a number of occasions. The abuse left the victim feeling like she "wanted to die".
The defendant, from Cardiff, abusing his victim before she was a teenager and forced her to drink alcohol until she was intoxicated. The first time it happened she fell asleep and woke up in a confused state before being sexually touched and then raped.
The victim blamed herself for the abuse, and Tustin would frequently apologise and say he would stop - but days later he would tell the victim he "missed her" and the abuse would continue. Over time, the victim drink more and more alcohol so she would not remember being raped and she shut herself off from her family.
Examination of Tustin's phone resulted in videos and images of the victim being discovered - with some depicting Tustin raping the girl. Indecent images of other children were also found. He was given an extended sentence of 18 years imprisonment, made up of a custodial element of 12 years and a further six years on licence.
Mathew Lock
Mathew Lock, 44, was leader of a children's club when he plied young boys boys with cider and vodka on camping trips and then raped a teenager. He founded the south Wales based club but took advantage of his position and access to young boys in order to carry out the rape of his victim.
The abuse took place on a camping trip when the victim was given so much alcohol he urinated in a tent compartment and was forced to sleep in Lock's compartment. It was then the victim was raped and sexually assaulted.
The defendant, of Barry, also exposed his penis to the victim on another camping trip. The victim went on to say he felt the abuse had an effect on his education and wished he had confided in friends earlier. It was a friend who contacted police about Lock, due to a fear he still had access to children.
Lock was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, of which he will serve two thirds in custody. He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and notification requirements indefinitely.
Roland Long
Roland Long chased his terrified and lost victim then shoved her to the ground and told her: "No-one says no to me" before subjecting her to a violent 10-minute sex attack. He wasn't brought to justice until 40-years after the attack due to advances in DNA technology.
The now 67-year-old, was revealed to be a serial sex abuser and paedophile. He carried out the attack on a woman in her late 20s as she was walking home after a day out with her family. Long followed her after offering to help with a box she was carrying. She said no but got lost walking back to her home in Roath, Cardiff, and realised he was behind her.
He pushed her to the ground, tore off some of her clothes, and raped her in a “prolonged” attack that lasted 10 minutes. The victim feared she was “going to die” during the attack and thought about the Yorkshire Ripper murders as killer Peter Sutcliffe had not been arrested at the time.
South Wales Police detectives reviewing historic cases used DNA evidence found on a piece of clothing to link him to the attack. Long was sentenced to a 12-year extended sentence comprising 10 years in custody and two on licence to “protect the public”.
David Turner
David Turner, 41, broke into his victim's home and lay in wait before fracturing her cheekbone and strangling her. He carried out a "forceful and premeditated" assault on his victim, who he also raped while under the influence of cocaine and alcohol, causing her pain and humiliation.
The victim sustained injuries to her face after Turner hit her and strangled her after entering her home through a window and waiting until she returned to her house. The defendant, of Cardiff, was convicted of rape following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court.
In a victim personal statement, the victim said: "The incident has dramatically effected my life in a number of ways. The injuries have still not healed, the bruises took six weeks to go and left me with an angry and painful left eye and numbness to the side of my face. As to this day I still have numbness to the left side of my face."
Turner was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, of which he will serve two thirds in custody before being released on licence. He was also made subject to a restraining order until further notice.
Jack Roberts
Jack Roberts, 21, pinned his victim down as he attacked her, then told the terrified young woman not to report what had happened to family members or the police.
He claimed the sexual contact had been consensual but he was found guilty following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court, The defendant, of Cwmbran, left his victim suffering with terrible anxiety and depression, having trouble sleeping, and experiencing panic attacks. She said she no longer feels comfortable around males - for example on public transport - and has had to abandon her studies as a result of what happened.
Roberts was sentenced to six-and-a-half years detention in a young offenders' institution. He will be on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.
Christopher James
Christopher James subjected subjected three young girls to a campaign of systematic sexual abuse spanning more than a decade. He repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted the children after moving to Wales from Worcestershire.
The 60-year-old was convicted at trial in Swansea Crown Court of 22 counts of indecent assault, indecency with a child, rape, attempted rape, sexual assault of a child under 13, rape of a child under 13, and attempted rape of a child under 13.
A judge told James, of Ceredigion, he had been convicted of "systematically abusing" three girls over a period of more than 10 years. Following the sentencing guidelines the judge sentenced James, who is originally from Stourport-on-Severn, to a total of 21 years in prison. The defendant will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.
Jake Evans-Hodgeson
Jake Evans-Hodgeson, 23, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court after he was previously found guilty of rape by a jury. Police praised the "strength and courage" of his victim.
The offence took place in September 2020 in Swansea and Evans-Hodgeson, of Kinley Street, Swansea, received a six-year jail term when he appeared before a judge. Speaking after the sentencing hearing South Wales Police detective constable Emma Robbins said: “I would like to commend the victim for showing strength and courage throughout this investigation in order to ensure Evans-Hodgeson was brought to justice.
“I hope this sentence provides some sort of closure and comfort for the victim as she attempts to move on with her life. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to come forward to report sexual abuse but I want to reassure anyone considering doing so that there is a whole range of support out there not only from the police but from partner agencies who can help you through the entire process.”
Keiran Lucas
Kieran Lucas, 25, raped a woman as she slept and was branded a "manipulative, nasty bully" who treats women as trophies. He was told there was "no doubt" he should be considered a dangerous offender.
Lucas has convictions for assaulting, harassing, and controlling women, and sending him to prison the judge told him he had "no regard for women or the way they feel - for you a woman is an object of a trophy".
The defendant, of Gelligaer, Caerphilly, had previously been convicted of rape at trial in Merthyr Crown Court. In a statement which was read to the court on behalf of his victim she described the devastating impact Lucas' actions had had on her life.
The judge said the defendant had shown no remorse for what he had done, and had no insight into his offending. Lucas was made the subject of a 1 2-year extended sentence comprising nine years in custody followed by three years on licence. The defendant will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.
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