A man who "took advantage" of a drunk young woman he met in a nightclub and raped her after taking her home has been jailed. Gary Longfield, 43, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison at Swansea Crown Court after being convicted at trial.
The woman can remember little of what happened at Longfield's house but does remember hearing a number of male voices discussing undressing her. The court heard that Longfield met the complainant at a nightclub in Pembrokeshire in the spring of 2022 when the woman was out with friends celebrating a birthday.
Attack details
The defendant, complainant, and a number of males subsequently drove back to Longfield's house. The woman has no recollection of being sexually abused but remembers hearing male voices discussing undressing her, and remembers being woken up by police officers asking her if she knew where she was. It took officers 10 minutes to rouse the woman from her state of slumber.
In a statement read to the court by prosecution barrister Ian Wright, the woman said she used to think everyone was "good and nice" but said "I don't see the world that way any more". She said she used to be outgoing but since the attack has withdrawn into herself and now struggles to trust people.
Sentencing remarks
Longfield, of Corporation Terrace, Pembroke Dock, had previously been convicted of rape and assault by penetration when he returned to the dock for sentencing. He has previous convictions for public order matters from 2001 and 2002.
Robin Rouch, for Longfield, said character references before the court speak very highly of his client, and he said there is "clearly a different side" to the defendant. The barrister said the inevitable custodial sentence Longfield was facing would impact those close to him, but said it had to be accepted "He has brought that upon himself".
Recorder David Harris said Longfield was one of a number of males who were initially at the defendant's house with the intoxicated woman, and said he was satisfied that at some stage during the night the defendant told his friends to "p*** off" and leave the property. He told Longfield: "You took advantage of a young woman in a vulnerable state and you sexually abused her by committing offences of rape and assault by penetration."
Sentence and impact
The recorder said he was concerned that the defendant continues to deny the offences, and has no insight into what caused him to behave in the way he did. He also said he had read references which speak highly of the defendant, adding: "It is clear to me that the alcohol you consumed caused you to behave in a way they do not recognise".
Longfield will serve two-thirds of the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. He will be a registered sex offender for life, and was made the subject of an indefinite restraining order.
