Neil Roberts 50

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A 50 year old Winchcombe man who took a woman's mobile phone from her and refused to give it back until she gave him oral sex was jailed for eight and a half years today (May 21).

Neil Roberts, of Godwin Road, Winchcombe, denied raping the woman and assaulting her causing actual bodily harm but a jury found him guilty at the end of his trial earlier this year.

Today he was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court by Recorder Jaron Crooknorth who told him he still showed no sign of remorse for his abuse of the woman.

Before passing sentence of eight and a half years jail for the rape and two years nine months concurrently for the assault, the Recorder heard a victim impact statement from the woman, who said Roberts had treated her 'like a piece of meat' on that night.

She stated "I was humiliated. I felt worthless. He made me blame myself. He left me feeling like it was all my fault.

"Now, after two years of fighting for him to be held accountable, I can admit to myself that I have been raped and that it isn't my fault. Only now do I feel I can truly start to live my life again and enjoy it.

"I am glad he has finally been held accountable for who he truly is and I hope that one day he will be able to admit it to himself.  When the jury found him guilty I was overcome with emotion."

During the trial at Cirencester Courthouse in March the court heard that on Oct 10th 2021 the woman agreed to spend the evening with Roberts drinking and listening to music at his home.

Roberts began questioning her about whether she was seeing any other men and he demanded to see her phone

She refused but he took the phone from her and would not give it back, accusing her of having an 'affair'.

The woman told jurors he could not initially look at the phone because it was locked and needed facial recognition or her PIN number. He kept waving it at her face in an effort to open it but she continually moved her head to prevent him.

However, eventually she gave up and gave him the unlock code. He then looked through the phone. After about an hour she asked to have it back but he did not hand it over and was mocking her, calling her a slut and a cheat.

She pushed Roberts and slapped him in the face in her efforts to retrieve the phone and he then punched her in the face.

Roberts told her that if she wanted her phone back she would have to give him oral sex. 

She told him 'I don't want to do this, just give me the phone back.'

But Roberts insisted he would not return it till she gave him oral sex so she did.

"He then gave me the phone back.  I got off the bed and sat on the floor with my belongings," the woman told the jury.

"He then said that he thought we were just doing role play and that he thought I was enjoying it. "

Roberts, in evidence, said that after drinking San Miguel beer with the woman for 4-5 hours that night they went into his bedroom at about 1am and she instigated the oral sex as a 'form of apology' for an argument they'd had earlier.

There had been no violence from him and he had not demanded to see her phone at any stage, he said.

He alleged afterwards she became very angry and pulled on his penis, causing a bruise.

"I told her to get off and she started to punch me in the head.  She hit me 10-20 times," he alleged.

Roberts was unanimously convicted of both charges and has been in custody on remand since then. Today he appeared via video link from Bristol Prison for his sentencing.

His solicitor, Sarah Jenkins, told the court he had no past history of sexual offending and his only conviction had been for an offence of violence in 2006. This had been his first experience of prison, she said.

It would not be just him who paid the price of his offending because his father, who is in poor health, and his young daughter in Thailand, who also has an illness, would suffer without his care and financial support, she said.

"The child will not be able to come to the UK while he is in custody," she said. "His incarceration will have a very significant impact on both of these individuals."

At the time of Roberts' offences against the woman he had a drink problem and that had got worse due to the stress of awaiting trial - but he had now undergone detox in prison and had signed up for education courses in languages and cycle maintenance in jail, she said.

She also referred the court to character references provided to the court by friends and colleagues of Roberts.

"They show a side of his character which was not shown during the evidence of the victim.  He has provided emotional support and friendship to these individuals in difficult times and circumstances and it is something they value him for."

Passing sentence Recorder Crooknorth told Roberts "You showed no remorse - not even for the injuries she had sustained.  She had a bruised and swollen face, bruising across her chest, scratching and bruising on her arms.  She felt humiliated, overpowered and abused by someone she thought she could trust.

"At this late stage you still show no remorse. "

He said he found that Roberts represents a danger to the public. He told Roberts he will have to serve two-thirds of his eight-and-a-half year sentence before he is eligible for parole.

The judge also reminded Roberts that he will be on the sex offender register indefinitely and will have to keep police informed of any changes of his address or his name.