Latest news with #rapists
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
GOP firebrand's 'rape' tattoos may now be laid bare as accused men fear inkings contain explosive secrets
The four men branded rapists and sex traffickers by Representative Nancy Mace want to inspect the lawmaker's tattoos – to hidden in her body art, Daily Mail can reveal. Mace, 47, is believed to have had as many as nine new designs inked across her skin in the past two years to represent her status as an alleged survivor of abuse.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Rise in sex offenders using 'sleepwalker defence' to deflect rape charges, CPS prosecutor warns
There has been a rise in rapists claiming they suffer with sexsomnia to evade conviction, a top Crown Prosecution Service lawyer has told a Daily Mail podcast. Speaking to The Trial, Charlotte Coulton-Smith said the CPS is making sexsomnia a 'key part of training' so case workers can better identify offenders who fraudulently claim to have the condition. The concern comes as courts have increasingly encountered the sleep disorder defence. Sexsomnia is a rare condition that causes people to engage in sexual activity while completely asleep, with sufferers having no memory of their actions. Those with the genuine condition can engage in a range of unconscious sexual behaviours including touching others, masturbation and full intercourse. In the last decade, several high-profile cases across Europe have seen men acquitted of rape after successfully proving to courts they suffer from the condition. But not all attempts succeed. Dean Final, 32, who was jailed for 11 years for rape in August, recently tried and failed to use a sexsomnia defence. 'It's certainly on the increase', Coulton-Smith told Trial host Caroline Cheetham. 'We're seeing more cases where defendants will claim to be suffering from sexsomnia. 'We are going to make sure that we are robustly challenging and dealing with these cases within the CPS. 'I don't expect to see it going away anytime soon. Women and girls need to be aware of it.' Sexsomnia cases present a complex challenge for courts, as there is no standard diagnostic method to verify the condition. Courts are more likely to accept it as a legitimate defence when defendants have a documented history of sleepwalking or display telltale signs during the alleged incident - such as keeping their eyes open throughout the sexual activity. Other key indicators that help distinguish genuine sexsomnia from fabricated claims include complete memory loss of the events and an absence of complex, coordinated movements during the activity. However, there is still debate within the medical community whether the condition actually exists. Coulton-Smith, who helped prosecute Final, described how the CPS worked to easily disprove his sexsomnia claim. 'Final served a claim that he was suffering from sexsomnia. We really wanted to make sure that never got in front of a jury. 'It was clear that there was no proper, expert foundation to say he was suffering with sexsomnia. 'He had no history of sleepwalking. In fact, we asked for a statement from the prison to say, has he been sleepwalking – they told us no. 'We asked his ex-partner: has he ever sleepwalked before? She told he hasn't. 'Effectively, this behaviour started and stopped just for this event. It's a clear demonstration of why we need to tackle this issue head on. 'If it's not properly challenged, this could be a road map for abusers to carry on their abusing. 'We will be looking with laser detail whenever this type of defence is raised.' To listen to full interview about the Dean Final case and the 'sexsomnia' defence, subscribe to The Crime Desk now.
The Sun
06-05-2025
- The Sun
Rapists and domestic abusers have lenient prison sentences extended under new scheme
RAPISTS and domestic abusers have had years added to their prison terms after being referred for being too lenient, The Sun can reveal. Violent offenders who abused women have had their sentences increased under a scheme designed to challenge soft punishments. Data published by the Attorney General's Office shows that out of a total 48 cases heard by the Court of Appeal between January and March 2025, 33 sentences were increased. Of these 33 sentences, 15 cases related to violent and sexual offences against women and girls. Nine were drug -related sentences and other offences included robbery, manslaughter, and conspiracy to traffic contraband into prison. The largest sentence increase was for Rico Persechino who saw his jail term extended by six years after it was referred to the Court of Appeal as part of the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme. Rico Persechino was part of an organised criminal group operating in Surrey that carried out multiple burglaries, a violent assault, and stole more than £215,000 of high-value cars. Persechino's sentence was increased from seven years' and six months to 13 years' and six months on 13 March 2025 after it was referred to the Court of Appeal. Others include Stuart Worby, 45, from Dereham, Norfolk who had his sentence increased from 12 years to 17 years after giving a woman medication which caused her to have an abortion. Ryan Sutton, 24, from Worcester, who groomed and raped a 10-year-old he met on social media had his sentence increased by three years to a total of nine years' imprisonment with a licence extension of 12 months. Jie Zhang, 42, from West London, had her sentence more than doubled from three years to eight years' imprisonment for leading an international prostitution ring that recruited sex-workers from East Asia and Europe to work in brothels across London. The Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP said: 'The Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme exists to protect victims, and referrals to the Court of Appeal this year show that more perpetrators of violence against women and girls are being kept in jail for longer. 'As Solicitor General, I will continue to refer cases that are unduly lenient to the courts to ensure that justice is secured, victims in these cases are protected, and that public trust in the criminal justice system can be restored.'
