A man who raped a vulnerable teenager after plying her with vodka has been jailed for eight years. Damien Samuel, 44, of Wyndham Street, Port Talbot, was convicted by a jury in September this year following a trial.
Attack in Port Talbot
The court heard the rape took place in Port Talbot in December 2022 after Samuel had provided alcohol to a number of people, including the complainant. The complainant, who was a teenager at the time, became "very, very drunk" on the vodka. Samuel subsequently found the vulnerable woman and raped her, during which the victim was "crying and distressed". After the rape, he told her he hoped she would not cause him "a problem".
The matter was reported to police, and Samuel denied any wrongdoing. The case went to trial, and he was convicted by a jury in September this year.
Victim impact statement
In a statement read to the court, the woman set out the impact the rape has had on her life. She said there was "no place I feel free from the trauma" of what happened and described how she is afraid to go to sleep at night because of the nightmares she suffers. She also said she is afraid to leave the house on her own and keeps her head down when she goes out, worried if any man approaches her to talk. The woman said on occasions she can still feel the defendant holding her and preventing her from moving, making her feel dirty and causing her to "rub myself red-raw in the shower".
In her statement, the woman said Samuel had never admitted what he had done and had put her through the ordeal of having to give evidence to a jury. Addressing the defendant in the dock, she added: "The thought of having children genuinely terrified me. If I bring a little girl into the world the thought of having to teach her about defending herself from men like you makes me sick."
Sentencing at Swansea Crown Court
Robin Rouch, for Samuel, said the defendant understood there was little he could say on his behalf given the verdict of the jury. The barrister invited the court to take into account the defendant's previous clean character and the contents of personal references which spoke highly of his client.
Recorder Greg Bull KC told Samuel he had targeted an obviously vulnerable young woman and "abused her in a most disgraceful way". He said it must have been plain to the defendant that the woman was not consenting, and he regarded the comment about the woman "not causing a problem" as a veiled threat. The recorder noted the offending happened in December 2022, with the defendant's first appearance before magistrates in February 2025, and described the delay as "disgraceful" and "absolutely scandalous". He said he was satisfied the rape had caused the complainant considerable psychological trauma.
Samuel was sentenced to eight years in prison and must serve two-thirds of that sentence in custody before being released on licence. He will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life and was made subject to a restraining order banning him from contacting his victim for 20 years.
