A MAN who repeatedly raped a woman has been jailed for 12 years.
Darren Nesbitt, from Arden Street in Dorridge, had invited the woman to stay at the house he shared with his partner in Solihull on August 22 last year as a leak had left her with no running water.
But Birmingham Crown Court heard how heavy drinker Nesbitt groped the 49-year-old as they smoked cigarettes in the garage and then forced himself upon her in the spare room as his partner slept in their bedroom nearby.
She disclosed the attack to a work colleague the following day and on September 19 reported Nesbitt to West Midlands Police.
He was arrested from his home address but denied stepping foot in the bedroom the woman had stayed in and couldn’t explain why “she was making up the story”.
However, weight was added to the woman’s account when West Midlands Police detectives traced another woman who alleged Nesbitt had sexually assaulted her at his home in 2014.
And at Birmingham Crown Court he was jailed for 12 years having been found unanimously guilty by a jury on three counts of rape and one attempted rape. He must also sign the sex offenders register for life.
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Jon Barker from West Midlands Police’s Public Protection Unit, said: “Nesbitt invited the victim into his home and offered her his hospitality by cooking and plying her with alcohol then he attacked the woman whilst his partner retired to bed.
“It’s a shocking breach of trust and left the victim hugely distressed and struggling to come to terms with what had happened.
“She did the right thing in disclosing the offences to us and has been supported through the process by our specialist officers and RSVP in Birmingham ? a charity that offers support and help to sexual violence survivors.
“The victim was a very credible witness at court and conducted herself impeccably Nesbitt on the other hand kept changing his story and this clearly struck the jury.
“This case should act as reassurance to anyone who has been raped or sexually assaulted that we take all reports seriously and allegations will be thoroughly investigated.”
