A man who raped a woman in Bournemouth as she slept has been jailed for four years.
Marti Nicholas Reynolds, 29 and of Baardwyk Avenue, Canvey Island, was sentenced on Friday 5 March 2021 at Bournemouth Crown Court.
He was convicted of the offence on Wednesday 9 December 2020 following a trial at Salisbury Crown Court. He was found not guilty of a second rape offence involving a different woman.
The offence occurred in October 2017 when Reynolds lived in Bournemouth and came to light on Friday 27 October that year when a woman contacted Dorset Police to say Reynolds had admitted to having sexual intercourse with a woman as she slept. He was arrested the same day.
Officers from Dorset Police made contact with the victim – who is aged in her 20s and knew Reynolds as a fellow student – to take an account from her.
The victim told police that she had been out drinking with friends in Bournemouth town centre on the evening of Sunday 22 October 2017. She returned home to her address in the Winton area of the town and went to bed, allowing Reynolds to stay with her as a friend. She woke to discover Reynolds raping her and she got up and left.
Detective Constable Christopher Panther, of Dorset Police, said: “Marti Reynolds targeted his victim as she slept and at no point had she given consent. She was taken advantage of by someone she believed she trusted.
“I would like to thank her for coming forward to report this offence and for the courage she has shown in standing up to Reynolds to say what he did to her was wrong and supporting the court process.
“I hope this case will again demonstrate that Dorset Police takes these offences extremely seriously. We will always listen to and support anyone who reports matters to us and offenders will be held accountable for the crimes they commit.”
If you have been a victim of rape or sexual assault, and you want to report directly to the police please call 101 and ask to be put in contact with a specially-trained police officer. Always dial 999 in an emergency. Alternatively, you can contact The Shores Sexual Assault Referral Centre on 0800 970 9954.
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