Paul Maiden 38

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The victim of Paul Maiden's drink and drug-fuelled sex attack is now looking to the future, Teesside Crown Court heard

A woman went through "pure hell" when a rapist forced himself on her while she was sleeping next to her boyfriend.

Now she says she is looking to the future as sex attacker Paul Maiden, 33, starts a long prison sentence.

A judge said she hoped the woman could take comfort from the fact a jury believed her and convicted the rapist.

Maiden had been drinking and taking cocaine when he began raping the woman while she and her boyfriend slept.

She awoke to find him having sex with her, Teesside Crown Court heard on Wednesday.

"Initially she thought it was her boyfriend then realised that he was asleep next to her and realised it was you," Judge Deborah Sherwin told Maiden.

"There was something of a struggle.

"She was left covered in bruises. It isn't clear to me at all how this happened. Something happened to cause her that bruising."

Woman suffered post-traumatic stress disorder

The woman's boyfriend woke up to her shouting that Maiden had raped her, and he chased Maiden away.

Maiden was cut to the hand with a knife, and the boyfriend gave evidence that he felt he had to defend himself from the rapist.

In a moving statement the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she went through "pure hell".

Prosecutor Paul Newcombe said: "She has lost her self-esteem and it's compounded issues she had.

"She's still suffering from depression and a form of post-traumatic stress disorder but is looking forward to the future with confidence."

Judge Sherwin said the woman was particularly vulnerable as she was sleeping.

She said the victim was also affected by alcohol as she was found to be four times the alcohol limit for driving afterwards.

'It's had a profound effect on her life'

"It's had a profound effect on her life," added the judge.

"She sets out in her statement the attempt she has made to take her own life.

"I can only hope that she gains some comfort from the jury's verdict in this case."

Maiden, of Hartlepool Marina, denied rape but was convicted by a jury after a trial last week.

He had no previous convictions for sexual offences and had been out of trouble since a drink driving offence in 2010.

'Quite excessive levels of drinking'

Robin Denny, defending, said: "No relevant convictions. He's never been sent away.

"An incident which would never have happened if there hadn't been a background of quite excessive levels of drinking."

Passing sentence, Judge Sherwin said: "It could be argued she has suffered from severe psychological harm.

"The best mitigation is that you have no relevant previous convictions.

"You are effectively of good character and have never served a custodial sentence before."

Maiden was jailed for eight years.

He was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order banning him from contacting the victim, and will be on the sex offenders' register for life.