OFFENDER JOE JORDAN SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS FOR HARWICH RAPE
A man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for the sexual assault and rape of a woman in Harwich last summer.Joe Jordan, aged 24 from Barrington Road, Colchester, was convicted of one count of rape at Ipswich Crown Court on April 26.
On June 11, he was sentenced to the full eight-year term.
The court heard that on July 17, 2018, Jordan stopped his car on Parkeston Road after noticing the victim, an acquaintance, on the roadside.
He offered her a lift home, but instead drove her to a car park where he committed the rape.
Afterward, he abandoned her near her home around 8 pm, and a neighbor called an ambulance after she collapsed on the pavement, noting she was not wearing clothing on her lower half.
DNA evidence linked Jordan to the assault, leading to his arrest on July 21.
It was also found that Jordan did not own the car he was driving, resulting in additional charges for driving offenses: driving while disqualified, taking a vehicle without consent, and driving without insurance.
He had previously pleaded guilty to these charges, which were included in his sentencing.
Investigating officer DC Dianne Smith praised the victim's bravery and emphasized Jordan's actions as abhorrent and exploitative, noting that he refuses to acknowledge his wrongdoing.
Jordan will also remain on the sex offender register for life as a consequence of his crime.
