A man from Derby has been jailed for eight years after being found guilty of raping a young woman in his van.
Sudesh Kumar, of Carsington Crescent, in Allestree, denied the horrific offence which took place back in August 2018.
But he was found guilty and sentenced during a hearing last week.
The court heard how Kumar had been with the victim, a woman in her 20’s, and her friends at a pub in Peartree.
After leaving the pub in the evening, the group then made their way to a mutual friends house.
At around 4 am, Kumar offered to give his victim a lift home.
She accepted the lift, and while on the way to her home, the 41-year-old took advantage of her vulnerable state and raped her.
The following morning the victim woke up and felt concerned about what happened the night before.
Although she could not fully recollect the events from the evening, she shared her concerns with her mother, who then contacted the police.
As part of the investigation, a medical examination was carried out on the victim, and forensic evidence was found from a tampon she had tried to discard.
Kumar was tracked down and arrested by detectives.
He later denied the offence but was found guilty following a trial.
He was sentenced to eight years imprisonment and placed on the sexual offenders register for life at Derby Crown Court on Tuesday, March 16.
Detective Constable Fiona Rai was the officer in charge of the investigation. She said:
“Kumar took advantage of a young woman who was vulnerable. We can only hope that the sentence goes some way to ensuring he faces the consequences of his abhorrent actions.
“Throughout the investigation and the trial Kumar denied what he had done, forcing the victim to relive what had happened to her.
DC Rai added: “I would like to commend the victim for her immense courage in not only reporting the incident but also during the distressing and difficult time she will have faced following on from the attack.
“Although nothing can erase what has happened, I hope that the victim will be able to find some closure knowing that Kumar is locked up and has been brought to justice.
“We also hope that this will demonstrate that no matter what the circumstances are, we are committed to supporting survivors of rape and sexual assault and will do everything we can to identify offenders and put them before the courts.”
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