Description
A manipulative abuser who raped a woman and controlled her life has been jailed. Henry Smith, 39, made his victim's life a misery, limiting her contact with friends and family and forcing her to give him money.
His abuse was uncovered after he was arrested for stealing from her. When Smith's victim had left her home in Wigston to meet her family on Saturday, June 11, last year, she returned to find cash had been taken.
A family member suspected Smith was responsible and called him, leading to his later arrest by Leicestershire Police. It was then that the his campaign of abuse came to light.
She told detectives that he became violent and raped her while they were together in East Goscote, near Syston, in October 2021. She also said Smith controlled how she lived her life, by limiting her contact with her friends and family and following her to ATMs to make he withdraw money for him.
Smith, of no fixed address, initially denied the charges but pleaded guilty on the second day of his trial. Detective Constable Rachael Lee, the investigating officer, said: "Smith was a man who wanted ultimate control over his victim.
"He was manipulative and made her life a living nightmare. Until the last minute, he tried to deny what he had done but pleaded guilty when his victim attended court to give her evidence against him.
"She has shown unbelievable strength and courage throughout the investigation and I hope the fact he’s now serving a significant sentence for his crimes brings her a sense that justice has finally been done and allows her to move on with her life."
Smith was jailed for 11 years for rape and given a consecutive three-year sentence for controlling and coercive behaviour.
The offences also put him in breach of a 10-month suspended sentence he had previously received for sexually assaulting another female – resulting in a total of 14 years and 10 months imprisonment. He was handed a three-year sentence for one count of burglary which he also pleaded guilty to when he appeared at Leicester Crown Court on Tuesday, August 15.
He will serve the three-year sentence concurrently. Smith was placed on the sex offender's register for life and is subject to an indefinite restraining order prohibiting him from contacting the victim or her family.