FRANCIS TAGOE

NORWICH RAPIST JAILED FOR VICIOUS SEXUAL ASSAULT

A rapist who carried out a vicious sex attack on a woman in Norwich was yesterday jailed for eight and a half years.

Francis Tagoe, 27, was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and banned from ever working with children.

Tagoe, of Leytonstone, London, had denied two charges of raping the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and causing her actual bodily harm, but was convicted by a Norwich Crown Court jury following a trial.

Tagoe had attempted to claim the sexual activity was consensual, but the court heard how in December 2006, he subjected the woman to a violent assault and rape, which lasted several hours.

The attack left her with facial and bodily injuries that required immediate hospital treatment.

It was also revealed that Tagoe had a previous conviction in 1998 for having sex with a girl under the age of 16.

Judge Paul Downes sentenced Tagoe, saying he could give him no credit for his plea because he had made the victim relive the events during the court proceedings.

The officer from the domestic violence unit, Det Con Dave Aldridge, emphasized the police’s commitment to dealing with domestic violence and sexual assaults proactively, hoping this sentence demonstrates effective multi-agency cooperation and support for the victim.