Paul Thwaites 42

Description

A hospital security guard who tried to pass himself off as a "Jekyll and Hyde" character to probation staff has been jailed for the "torture" of a woman which saw him sexually assault her and burn her body with an iron.

Paul Thwaites, 40, used sexual and physical violence against the woman during the offences which saw him sexually assault her, punch her genitals, burn her body, and strangle her until she was unconscious before slapping her awake again.

Twisted Thwaites - who worked as a security guard at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield - then told a probation service worker the lines between consent and excitement had become "blurred," which a judge said he had done to try and show he had little control over his behaviour.

Leeds Crown Court heard on Monday Thwaites filmed sexual activity and "blackmailed" the woman - telling her he would release the footage. Prosecutor, Alex Menary, said Thwaites "restrained her around her neck and her next recollection was waking up with a buzzing noise in her ear and she became aware he was slapping her in the face to wake her".

The court heard the woman was also "encouraged" into sexual activity by Thwaites who told her "it would be fun" and she consented but he turned aggressive. Mr Menary said Thwaites, of Leeds Road in Wakefield, also punched the woman's genitals over five times and sexually assaulted her with a curtain pole and an aerosol can, during which she asked him to stop and tried to kick out. He also forced her to perform oral sex upon him.

The woman was also subjected to burns on her breasts and stomach by Thwaites who used a pair of straighteners and an iron to cause horrifying injuries. She reported his offending to police in May this year. Thwaites was arrested a day later and denied the offending. However, he later pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by penetration, oral rape and two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to do so.

Dad-of-two Thwaites appeared in court via video link and his victim bravely faced him as she told him he had "destroyed" her life. In the victim impact statement, she said: "He completely destroyed me as a person. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, I can be washing up or driving and I have flashbacks of the things he did to me and I break down and cry.

"When I'm driving I have thoughts of letting go of the steering wheel and going into a lorry and the nightmare will be over."

The woman told the court she is on medication and has been signed off work indefinitely by her doctor. She added: "He completely killed me inside. It's going to take years and years to start getting to the old me. I observe things and realise I don't react to them as anyone else does. I have to make myself smile and laugh at things so no one worries about me but inside I just want to crawl into a ball and stop existing."

Mitigating, Michael Collins, said Thwaites is a "model prisoner" and has completed courses while being remanded into custody. A letter from Thwaites and a reference from his mother had been handed to His Honour Judge Robin Mairs. He said he had no relevant previous convictions.

Mr Collins said: "There is nothing that suggests he is going to repeat the commission of any similar offending in the future." The barrister said Thwaites accepted he had been "insensitive" to the woman's "reluctance" to engage in parts of sexual activity. Mr Collins said: "What the defendant would say upon reflecting on his conduct to which he has pleaded guilty is that he is disgusted by it. He would say that he doesn't recognise - and these are his words - 'that horrible man'.

"He is disgusted by his actions. His regret and remorse are genuine. He recognises he has done wrong and it is right he is imprisoned. He struggles to understand his behaviour and has been working and taking advantage of whatever is available in prison to begin to understand his conduct and how a man in his 40s without a history of violent or sexual offending commits these offences of such seriousness."

The court heard how the author of the pre-sentence report said Thwaite is "high risk" which had been elevated from the analytical testing available to the probation service. Mr Collins said the authors said Thwaites "failed to recognise the seriousness and consequences of his conduct" and he "doesn't understand that assessment as he has been clear that he does and can offer no explanation about why that has been put."

Mr Collins said: "He did have concerns that the author of the report wasn't listening with care to some of the answers he was giving. He doesn't know that but he's trying to explain what he thinks was a breakdown in communication. He can't fathom why the author asserts that when he clearly did."

Judge Mairs said: "Perhaps because he said the lines became 'blurred' and was at great pains to show himself as a Jekyll and Hyde character with little or no control of behaviour? Or perhaps because there was an air of confidence to portray himself as misunderstood?"

Mr Collins said Thwaites "does not shy away from what he has done and knows he is going to be punished for it".

Judge Mairs described Thwaites' crimes as "torture" as he handed him an extended sentence of 23-and-a-half years, made up of 16-and-a-half-years in custody and an extended licence period of seven years. He will have to serve two thirds of the sentence before going before the Parole Board who will determine if he is safe for release.

The judge said: "As the probation officer put it - you dismantled her emotional resilience to meet your own needs. You knew the seriousness of what you were doing." The judge said counts 2 and 3 (assault by penetration) followed consensual sexual activity. He said: "This was repeated sexual violence designed to humiliate, belittle and degrade someone for your own sexual gratification so you could enjoy your own encyclopedia of torture.

"With formidable courage she came to court today and read her victim impact statement. In her words, you took everything and destroyed her as a person. You have subjected her to a life sentence."

Judge Mairs said Thwaites' description of himself as a "Jekyll and Hyde" character was "just another persona to take blame for this offending." He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for life and was made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Reacting to the sentencing, Detective Constable Matthew Sherriff, who was the investigating officer, said: I would like to thank the victim for her bravery and courage in coming forward and reporting these offences and to all those who supported the police investigation.

Thwaites is a dangerous individual who has been convicted of serious offences. These convictions will hopefully not only bring closure and justice to the victim but will ensure that he cannot harm anyone else."