Description
A serial rapist who targeted a woman as she slept tried to challenge his lengthy jail term.
Callen Chandler-Jones took advantage of the woman, who cannot be identified, leaving her "completely broken" and feeling as though she had been "treated like an object" in her own words.
Chandler-Jones, 31, was handed an extended sentence at Liverpool Crown Court in April, where a judge heard how he raped his "extremely vulnerable" victim while she was asleep on at least 11 occasions over the space of several years. Charlotte Kenny, prosecuting, described how the woman became suspicious and began leaving her phone under her pillow recording when she was sleeping.
When she later confronted Chandler-Jones, he apologised and said that he had been having "irresistible urges". He later made "partial admissions" to the attacks, which occurred at an address in Merseyside.
Chandler-Jones was jailed for 20 years, with an extended licence period of eight years, after admitting two counts of rape. The court heard the second count encompassed a number of different occasions.
That sentence means that Chandler-Jones must serve at least two thirds of his jail term before becoming eligible for parole, and will only be released early if a Parole Board are convinced he is safe to live in the community.
However the pervert launched an appeal against his sentence, claiming the judge had no right to impose such a long prison term.
A judgment handed down by the Court of Appeal after a hearing in the Royal Courts of Justice revealed that Chandler-Jones lodged two grounds of appeal. According to Lady Justice Whipple, Chandler-Jones argued "it was manifestly excessive given the facts of the case and the overall criminality involved".
He also argued imposing an extended sentence was unnecessary given the length of the custodial sentence. However Justice Whipple wrote: "The index offences are very severe. Their repeated nature makes it reasonable to go above the upper limit of that category by some margin.
"This sentence was for a series of rapes (at least 11) over a lengthy period, committed despite [the complainant] asking the applicant to stop and expressing her deep upset at what was occurring. These rapes were committed while she was asleep and unable to resist."
In regard to the extended sentence, she wrote: "The judge had good reason to impose an extended sentence in this case. The applicant plainly does present a real danger to the public."
Back in April. the victim bravely read out a statement to the court, in which she outlined the devastating impact of his assaults. She tearfully said: "I don't know how to put my feelings into words.
"This has completely broken me as a person. I am doing all I can to put the pieces back together. The hardest thing to get my head around was why he would want to cause me such distress time and time again. My confidence and my heart and soul was completely stripped from me.
"He treated me like an object to give pleasure. It broke my heart. I really struggle to understand how he could disregard me and my body. I want to ensure he never hurts anyone ever again.
"I refuse to be hurt by him anymore. I completely lost who I was."
Heroin and crack cocaine addict Chandler-Jones has a total of 19 previous convictions, including for assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Judge David Swinnerton, who passed the original sentence, said: "You raped her in circumstances where she was exceptionally vulnerable. You used her like an object.
"You ignored her humanity completely and completely disregarded her as a human being. You treated her as a sexual play thing to do with what you wanted."
Chandler-Jones was also given a restraining order, preventing him from contacting the complainant indefinitely. He must sign the sex offenders' register for life.