An intoxicated woman was raped and had derogatory words written on her body, a court has heard. Video recordings were made of the woman's ordeal which were later shared on messaging apps.
Sentencing at Swansea Crown Court
Speaking after bricklayer Caeran Evans was sentenced to seven years in prison, police said the defendant had taken advantage of his victim "in a heinous and calculated way".
Swansea Crown Court heard the incident took place in October 2024 at a property in Swansea after Evans, the complainant, and a number of other people had met on a night out and shared a lift home.
The court heard the woman was unaware she had been abused until she woke the following morning to find her underwear had been removed and realised she felt "different" in an intimate area.
Video recordings and crude messages
The woman subsequently became aware of the existence of video recordings which included footage which showed crude messages had been written on her body and cocaine had been snorted from her body. The court heard it is not known who scrawled the messages on the teenager's skin.
The matter was reported to the police and the defendant subsequently denied rape, saying the sex had been consensual.
Caeran Evans, aged 27, of Heol Cadifor, Penlan, Swansea, had previously been convicted at trial of rape when he returned to the dock for sentencing. He had previously pleaded guilty to sexual assault in relation to the same complainant.
Defence submissions and judge's remarks
David Leathley, for Evans, said in his submission the court was not dealing with a case where "a man in total sobriety had preyed upon an intoxicated woman", but rather one where "there was an equality of arms" in terms of intoxication of complainant and defendant, and where it could be said "they were both out of it".
He said he had seen his client "weeping pitilessly" after the verdict of the jury was delivered, and said the inevitable custodial sentence the defendant was facing would impact those close to him.
The barrister said the defendant had written a letter to the court in which he described his "positive upbringing" by "loving parents" but how, following the breakdown of a relationship and loss of contact with his son, he had turned to cannabis and then cocaine.
The defendant said he allowed himself "to be drawn into a lifestyle and environment I should never have been part of" which led to bad decisions and ultimately to him being in court. Evans said he was deeply sorry for what happened saying: "This is not the person I want to be". He said he wants to return to working as a bricklayer for his dad's business and wants to be a good role model for his son.
Judge Catherine Richards said the jury had rejected the defendant's account that the sex had been consensual and had convicted him of rape. She said she accepted both the defendant and complainant were intoxicated but said the intoxication was on different levels, and said the major difference was that Evans was doing things to the complainant which caused her harm.
Sentence and police statement
Evans was sentenced to seven years in prison, and will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life. The defendant was made subject to a 15-year restraining order banning him from contacting his victim or posting anything about her on social media, and the judge said the order included circumstances such as where it may be said that the defendant was encouraging others to post comments online.
Speaking after the sentencing South Wales Police detective inspector Meirian Evans said: "Caeran Evans took advantage of his intoxicated victim in a heinous and calculated way. That he knew he was being filmed and still carried on for some kind of perverse self-gratification only makes the situation unimaginably more abhorrent. Thankfully, the court saw through his protestations and the guilty verdict and seven-year sentence shows that justice has been achieved for the victim. We commend her on her bravery in coming forward to report what Caeran Evans did to her, and hope that she can now begin to move on with her life."
