Darlington man raped victim after offering to make sure she got home safely after night out

A man who raped a woman after offering to accompany her home from a night out has been jailed.

Joseph Turnbull had been on a night out with the woman, along with several others.

He offered to take her home to ensure she got home safely, but once there asked if he could stay the night.

She offered him a blanket so he could sleep on the sofa but he later got into the woman's bed and raped her.

The 25-year-old, of Orchard Road, Darlington, denied rape but was found guilty following a trial at Teesside Crown Court.

The victim, who had quickly left the scene of the crime in a distressed state and travelled to her mum's address to tell her what had happened, said the incident had left her suffering panic attacks.

In a victim impact statement, she said: “The incident happened in my own home and I was left feeling uncomfortable in my own space. I was unable to stay where it happened and had to stay with my mam, which was disruptive.

“Friends have commented on how anxious I am and hyper-vigilant when we are socialising. I also find it really difficult to trust people after what has happened. The incident has led me to reevaluate my relationship with men romantically and platonically and to trust others in general.

“Being introduced to new people has also been a challenge and not wanting to be left alone with people I don’t know very well has been really difficult, sometimes leading to panic attacks.”

After several months, the woman found the courage to report what had happened to her to police and officers launched an investigation.

Turnbull was arrested and later charged with rape, which he denied.

He was found guilty following a trial at Teesside Crown Court last week and jailed for four years and four months. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Temporary Detective Inspector Liam Robertson, from Darlington CID, said: “The woman in this case has shown immense strength and courage to come forward and report what happened to her.

“I hope this verdict and sentence provides her with some comfort and allows her to move on with her life.”

He added: “Due to the incident happening behind closed doors, there were no witnesses to what took place, so the case focussed on the consistent disclosures made by the woman to her friends, family, and professionals over the course of a year. These were captured in evidential format and ultimately confirmed to the jury that she was a credible and truthful witness.

“I hope gives other victims confidence that, even where offences take place in the past and behind closed doors, we can and will work extremely hard to get to that high burden of proof.”

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