Detectives secure conviction of man who raped unconscious woman

Determined detectives presented a wealth of evidence at court to prove that a rapist knew a woman could not consent to sex due to her medical condition.

Mark Anderson, 42 (14/11/1981) of Shafton Road, Hackney appeared at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday, 5 April where he was sentenced to eight years in prison for rape. He also received a three-month sentence for assault, to run concurrently.

He was previously convicted of one count of rape and one count of assault at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday, 9 February.

The assault charge relates to an incident at a bus stop on Victoria Park Road, London on 30 May 2023, when two members of the public had to intervene after Anderson threw a bag of clothes at the victim and became verbally aggressive.

Detective Constable Daniel Neville who led the investigation said: “This man took advantage of the victim knowing full well that she was vulnerable and could not consent due to her medical condition.

“Anderson claimed he had engaged in consensual sex, but the wealth of evidence we presented to the courts meant his lies were uncovered.”

The incident happened on 6 August 2023 when the victim had been with Anderson at his home address in Shafton Road, Hackney.

She recalled being cold and felt strange – sensations she knew meant a seizure was coming on. She didn’t recall much from the attack but was aware that Anderson was having sex with her, and of being unable to consent due to her body being frozen. Due to the seizures, she lacked any sort of energy and it was only after speaking with a close family member that she had challenged him on it.

When confronting Anderson she said “You raped me” to which he responded “Yeah good!”.

The victim reported the incident to police the same day and urgent enquiries began.

The victim was introduced to a Sexual Offences Investigation Trained Officer (SOIT) who supported her throughout the investigation, while detectives began to gather as much evidence as possible.

They obtained the victim’s medical records and spoke with medical professionals, which proved that she had suffered a number of severe migraines which had on occasions led to a loss of consciousness.

Anderson claimed the victim had never been formally diagnosed with a medical condition, questioning the legitimacy of her claims. However, determined detectives presented a number of text messages where Anderson had referenced her seizures and had been aware of separate medical episodes. This was fully corroborated with the victim's GP who presented records proving the medical incidents as recurring.

Officers trawled through months of messages between the victim and the suspect which uncovered a series of malicious texts where the victim had been insulted, belittled and degraded by Anderson. This was used to disprove his original assertions that their relationship had been one of a respectful nature.

In an impact statement, the victim said: “It’s hard to know where to start with how my life has been impacted.

“The nightmares are so realistic, reliving the moment - that moment I opened my eyes and he was on top of me. I’d wake up crying then start panicking.

“Scared to sleep, scared to be awake. I have not only had my dignity stolen, my soul has been stolen, being used as a piece of meat to satisfy his sick sexual needs.

“The fear has constantly got me to the point of feeling suicidal. Lack of sleep and constant fear and anxiety brings my seizures on, the very thing that enabled him.

“The reality is, wherever I go, what happened to me is always there in my head. I am not the same person I once was. I can’t go out on my own as I am always looking over my shoulder.

“I used to be so confident, fiery and full of life, now I am just an empty shell.”

SOIT officer Hayley Goss said: “ I am incredibly proud of the strength and courage the victim has shown throughout - her sheer determination to stand in the witness box and confront the man that had committed such a horrific crime against her. I am glad she has finally managed to get the justice she truly deserves.”

DC Neville added: “I want to thank the victim, for her courage and resilience throughout the investigation. I hope that the result at court will help to provide some justice.

“I also hope this sentence will encourage anyone who may have been subject to any type of sexual offence to come forward and talk to us. We will listen to you and we will take appropriate action to hold those responsible to account.”
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NOTE: Images of three messages sent by Anderson have been released - see below. Please note the messages are offensive and may be upsetting.