Locations
Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire
Description
A man has been jailed for eight years after being convicted of making a woman engage in sexual activity without consent.
The court heard how Potts had forced his vulnerable victim to carry out sex acts on his associates in early 2024.
The victim bravely came forward to report what happened after disclosing her experience to a friend, who encouraged her to report it to us.
Potts was arrested in May and later charged but then denied the offence in court.
During the two-week trial, the victim courageously gave her evidence via video-link, and despite his not guilty plea, the jury found Potts guilty of the offence.
Along with his eight-year prison sentence, Potts was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £228 and will be subject to a lifelong sexual offender notification requirement upon his release.
Speaking following sentencing, the officer in charge of the case, Detective Constable Jessica Hill, of our rape and serious sexual offences team, said:
“Potts was unrepentant throughout the proceedings.
“The victim showed real resilience in coming forward to us and I hope now she can begin to recover from what has happened.
“This sentence shows how we will continue to do all we can to support victims and pursue sexual predators, to get them behind bars where they belong.”