Description
A 22-year-old man has been convicted of rape following a retrial at Northampton Crown Court.
The defendant - Dylan Saunderson - first stood trial at the same court in August last year, charged with three counts of rape, one count of assault and one count of administering a noxious substance.
At the end of that trial, Saunderson was found guilty of assault and not guilty of two counts of rape and administering a noxious substance.
The third count of rape could not be agreed upon by the jury and so the victim decided she would support a retrial at Northampton Crown Court which lasted for four days and ended at the end of last month (March 27). The jury took just two hours to return a guilty verdict.
The incident in question happened on the morning of September 28, 2023, when Saunderson attacked a woman inside a Kettering property and raped her.
He was sentenced on the same day he was found guilty to nine years in prison for the rape, 18 months in prison for the assault, to run concurrently, and six months in prison for a separate dangerous dog offence, to run consecutively.
Saunderson will also be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.
During sentencing, His Honour Judge Mayo told the court that “this was a prolonged attack which was aggravated by the assault.”
Lead investigator - Detective Sergeant Chelsea Noble from the Force’s SOLAR Team said:
“I’d like to commend the survivor in this case for the strength she has shown throughout this process. She has had to endure not one, but two trials, and the fact that she pushed for a retrial says everything about her absolute determination to get justice for what happened to her.
“In her victim personal statement, she commented on how she felt her life was on hold due to what Saunderson did to her, so I hope the conclusion of this case allows her to move forward. She has a bright future ahead of her and we wish her nothing but the best.
“Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority for Northamptonshire Police and I hope this case demonstrates how important victim care and getting justice is to us.”