Locations
Clos Y Fran, Llantarnam, Cwmbran, Wales, NP44
Description
A rapist taunted his vulnerable victim by saying nothing would happen if she reported the attack, telling her: "Nothing will get done. I'm going to deny it."
Newport Crown Court heard the woman suffered daily nightmares after the assault by Karl Searle, becoming so severe she feared going to sleep and felt her attacker was "haunting" her.
The offence occurred in the Cwmbran area in May last year, when Searle grabbed the woman, forced her to masturbate him, then "overpowered" her and raped her before smoking one of her cigarettes.
The victim reported the assault, leading to Searle's arrest and interview. Released on bail, he went missing until located in Merseyside in October and taken to Newport police station for further questioning.
He provided a prepared statement denying rape but admitting consensual sexual activity.
In her impact statement read to the court, the victim described nightly nightmares making her "scared" of sleep and feeling "haunted" by the defendant. She cried "happy and sad tears" upon learning he pleaded guilty, avoiding a trial.
Karl Searle, 48, of Clos Y Fran, Llantarnam, Cwmbran, had pleaded guilty to one count of rape before sentencing.
The court heard of his prior convictions: sexual intercourse with a child under 16 at Southwark Crown Court in 2001; exposure at Gwent Magistrates' Court in 2024, where, unhappy with police treatment, he exposed his buttocks to a female officer and "pulled his cheeks apart to expose his anus"; plus offences involving violence, drugs, dishonesty, and failing to comply with sex offender register requirements.
Defence barrister Martha Smith-Higgins noted little mitigation given the offence's seriousness but highlighted Searle's remand since October last year and completion of courses. The judge reviewed his mental health conditions, including mood disorder, paranoid personality disorder, and bipolar disorder, noting a "pattern of risk escalation."
With a 15% discount for his guilty plea, Searle received an extended sentence of eight years and nine months: six years and nine months in custody followed by a two-year licence period. He must serve two-thirds in custody and register as a sex offender for life.