A former trainee soldier has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for a campaign of rape in which he used fabricated social media identities to control and coerce his victim. John-Lee Osborne, 27, from Aust near Bristol, was convicted at Bristol Crown Court of 15 charges of rape.
Over a three-month period, Osborne sent the woman more than 4,000 messages from four fake characters created using the dark web. He convinced her that if she did not have sex with him, he would be kidnapped, beaten, raped and imprisoned. He also claimed that he was being forced into sexual acts with her against his will and that they were being watched and listened to by would-be kidnappers.
Sentencing Osborne, Judge Mark Horton described the offences as “ruthless” and “a very disturbing development in the use of social media”. He said the defendant had used internet applications and dark web services to “orchestrate what effectively became a weapon in your hands” to establish emotional and physical control over the victim. The judge added that Osborne’s actions were “determined, planned, malevolent” and that he had “destroyed her mentally”.
The court heard that Osborne had previous convictions for battery against his mother and for using social media to harass a girl when he was a teenager. After the case, temporary Detective Chief Inspector Tom Herbert of Avon and Somerset Police said Osborne’s deceit “knew no bounds” and that the victim fully believed the fake personas were real, leaving her unable to give true consent.
The victim has urged other survivors of sexual assault to seek support, saying: “Don’t ever feel like you’re alone and never be afraid. There will always be someone to hold your hand and help support you through your journey.”
