Runakl Delecia 45

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A man who was found guilty of the rape of a 17-year-old girl in Southampton city centre has been jailed for seven years and three months.

Runakl Shawn Delecia, 45, of Lynton Road in Bristol, appeared at Southampton Crown Court today (Friday 21 March) for sentence, having been found guilty of rape at the same court earlier this month.

The court was told how the victim, who is now 19 but was 17-years-old at the time of the incident, was approached by Delecia in the Carlton Place area of the city centre at around 1.30am on Sunday 9 April 2023, shortly before he raped her.

It was heard how Delecia could be seen on CCTV leading the girl away from Carlton Place and towards Carlton Crescent. After security staff working in the area were able to identify Delecia, he was arrested by police and charged with the offence, which he denied.

Following a six day trial at Southampton Crown Court, a jury found him guilty of rape on Monday 3 March and he has now been sentenced to seven years and three months in prison.

Officer in charge of the case Detective Constable Laura Cook, of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s specialist rape and serious sexual offences unit Operation Amberstone, said: “First and foremost, I must express my thanks to the victim in this case for her support in bringing Delecia to justice for this awful and predatory crime.

“The courage it takes to come forward and speak to us about incidents of this nature should not be underestimated and the fact that Delecia is now behind bars is testament to her bravery in speaking out and assisting us with this investigation.

“The Operation Amberstone team works tirelessly to target perpetrators of rape, and provide specialist support to survivors who have been affected.

“I hope that this sentence goes some way to helping the young woman involved gain closure and begin to move forward with her life. We want our communities, and survivors of abuse, to know that we stand with them and will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.”

Southampton Chief Inspector Mark Lumley said: “We are pleased with this sentence today and hope that it sends a clear message to anyone who comes to our city centre with the intention of causing harm to others. No-one in our community should ever be in a position where they do not feel safe walking the streets. For someone to be targeted in this way is abhorrent and will never be tolerated by police.

“Myself and my officers, who work tirelessly alongside our valued partnership agencies to ensure that Southampton is a safe and welcoming place to visit after dark, are committed to ensuring the safety of everyone in our city centre.

“It is thanks to the support of our security colleagues, and the nearby pubs and clubs, alongside the help of CCTV, that we were able to identify and arrest Delecia so quickly.

“We continue with our dedicated patrols at times when our pubs and clubs are at their busiest. A key focus of our officers, together with our partners, is to identify vulnerable people and safeguard them, as well as targeting and calling out perpetrators, arresting and using dispersal powers where necessary.

“We work very hard in Southampton to tackle sexual offences in partnership with organisations that support survivors. We want you to have the confidence to come forward and talk to us, knowing that you will be believed and supported, if something has happened to you, or somebody you know.”