Locations
St. Mary Street, Southampton, SO14
Description
A rape victim lured to a secluded area of a Southampton park said her attacker "changed [her] life forever".
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she has been given a “life sentence that I did not deserve” after being raped in Palmerston Park.
Rasario Raquel Dos Reis, 27, has been jailed for more than eight years after goading her into the cover of some bushes near Above Bar Street.
His victim was drunk and was only 19 at the time.
In a victim impact statement read out by prosecutor Tom Wright, the woman said: “The weekend that this happened to me was supposed to be a celebration.
“What he has done to me has destroyed my family life. My relationship has ended since this.
“I felt dirty. I drink much more regularly than I used to. I find this comforting and I don’t think about things when I’m drinking.
“I no longer feel safe working alone. I used to walk into town by my own before this point.
“I now feel freaked out if there are a lot of people around me.
“This man has changed my life forever. It is a life sentence that I did not deserve.”
Reis was jailed for eight years with a six-year extended licence period at Southampton Crown Court.
He was also made subject to an indefinite restraining order and must register as a sex offender.
The court heard the victim had been at a party the night before, and in an attempt to clear her head, went for a walk in the city centre at around 6.30am on February 19.
She then saw Reis, who claimed to be waiting for a coach to Oxford, and asked him the time.
The factory worker then “attached himself” to her, Mr Wright said.
He took her to a bench and began to pet her before leading her towards the park and into the cover of some bushes.
The victim, who had been sick less than an hour before, had been wearing her pyjamas and dressing gown and was “clearly intoxicated”, the court heard.
The attack was only stopped when a passer-by noticed what was happening and saw the woman mouth the word “help”.
Police were called and later arrested Reis at a nearby coach station, despite his efforts to change his appearance.
He denied that anything non-consensual had taken place.
Reis, of St Mary’s Street, Southampton later pleaded guilty to rape on the second day of his trial.
Mitigating, Francisca Da Costa told the court her client moved to the UK around a year before this incident from East Timor in Southeast Asia.
He worked two jobs, one in a warehouse packing fish and one in a restaurant.
Ms Costa added: “Though he worked hard in his time in the UK he struggled to make friends because he is one of the few speakers of his native language.”
She said he remembers the woman kissing him on the lips and the incident was “relatively short-lived”.
“He takes full responsibility for his actions. This incident is isolated in my submission and opportunistic.”
But Judge Christopher Parker KC said: “It will have been obvious to you that she was drunk and incapable of caring for herself at that time.
“If she needed anything at all from you it would only have been help. Instead, you took advantage of her.
“If she recovers from this ordeal in her mind it will take a very great deal of time.
“I have no doubt that if you were released any time soon you would pose a significant risk of doing exactly the same thing again to somebody else.”
The judge said Reis will likely be deported at the end of his sentence.
Claire Shawley, Detective Inspector of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary's specialist rape unit Operation Amberstone, said: “We have all heard in court today the lasting effects that this sickening crime will have on its victim, the likes of which the majority of us will never be able to comprehend.
“I want to acknowledge the courage of the woman involved in this case, both in reporting what had happened and for her support and co-operation throughout our investigation, without which we would not have secured this outcome today."
Operation Amberstone Detective Constable Laura Cook, who led the investigation, said: "This has been a harrowing experience for the victim to have to re-live, but her actions in reporting this have allowed us to take swift action and remove a dangerous predatory man off the streets of Southampton.
“We are also incredibly grateful for the member of the public for intervening on that day and for staying with the victim until police arrived.
“Our priority is always securing justice for victims, and we worked hard to present a substantial case to the courts, resulting in Reis pleading guilty. I am pleased that he has now been jailed and hope that this result goes some way to helping the victim move forward with her life.”