Locations
West Percy Street, North Shields, Tyne & Wear, NE29
Description
A man who raped a sleeping woman after giving her alcohol and medication bought on the streets has been jailed.
Bruce Patterson was watching TV with the victim when he gave her booze and a tablet which he'd bought on the streets. But when the woman fell asleep, Patterson went on to rape the woman and interfered with her for over an hour.
The next day, the 37-year-old pretended like nothing had happened and even asked for her number. The attack left the woman feeling "minging" and she continues to struggle coming to terms with what happened.
On Tuesday, Patterson, of West Percy Street, North Shields, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court to be sentenced for rape. The offence was committed in the Whitley Bay area last year.
The court heard that Patterson and the woman were watching TV together, with the woman sharing a duvet with him. Judge Julie Clemitson said: "You gave her a tablet, these were street-bought tablets. She had had quite a lot of alcohol to drink and a strong painkiller on top of the alcohol. Over the next couple of hours you watched films and she fell asleep. It is clear she was soundly asleep but was aware of being lumped around."
The court heard the woman had not "fully awoken" when Patterson raped her and interfered with her, and she had no idea how long the incident lasted. Judge Clemitson said that Patterson took "well over an hour" when interfering with the woman before he went out for a cigarette.
The next day, Patterson acted like "nothing had happened", but the victim's "hazy memory" brought what happened back and she knew he had raped her. The court heard she was left feeling "minging" and "struggling" with what happened.
David Callan, defending, said Patterson had no other convictions relating to sexual offending and said he had been abused himself when young. He said Patterson has a learning difficulty and suffers from bipolar disorder, and is "institutionalised" in prison. He added: "He accepts the verdict but doesn't agree with it."
Patterson was jailed for nine years and will be on the sex offender's register for life.