A man has been sentenced to six years in prison for raping a woman after they agreed to share a sofa to sleep at a friend's house following an evening out in Chester.
Declan Marno, aged 24, had been in the city in March of last year alongside his 18-year-old victim and a group of friends. At the conclusion of the night out, the group returned to a friend's residence, where it was decided that Marno and the victim would sleep at opposite ends of a sofa overnight.
During the night, Marno raped the woman, who lost consciousness during the assault. The following morning, she confronted him about his behaviour and warned him that she remembered what he had done.
The 18-year-old subsequently reported the attack to Cheshire Police. Marno provided officers with a pre-written statement denying any wrongdoing and refused to answer any questions put to him, according to the Liverpool Echo.
Despite this, he later pleaded guilty to charges of assault and rape at his initial court appearance in February. At Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, 19 May, Marno, a resident of Chester, was handed a six-year prison sentence.
Detective Constable Emma Flanagan, of CID Reactive West, commented: "I cannot imagine how traumatising this experience will have been for the victim, a young woman who had enjoyed a night out in the city centre surrounded by people whom she believed she could trust to look out for her.
"Declan Marno abused this trust and acted upon his own selfish desires in the pursuit of sexual gratification, preying on her when she was at her most vulnerable and not once taking her feelings, wishes or consent into consideration.
"Whilst sadly, nothing can be done to turn back the clock on what has happened, I do hope that now Marno has been held accountable for his actions and has been put behind bars for the next six years, the victim can begin the process of healing.
"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank her for the bravery and strength she has shown throughout this entire investigation. Having to recount what had happened to her will have been an emotionally challenging endeavour, yet it was her evidence that proved vital in us securing this conviction against her attacker and getting her the justice she deserved."
In addition to his custodial sentence, Marno was placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.
