RAPIST HAS SENTENCE INCREASED
A man convicted of multiple sexual assaults committed against a young mother has seen his prison term extended to nine years.Justin Phipps, a 32-year-old laborer from Westfield Road, Trowbridge, was originally sentenced to seven years at Swindon Crown Court in November after being found guilty of three rapes and three charges of causing actual bodily harm.
The Crown Prosecution Service appealed the sentence, believing it was too lenient, and referred the case to the Attorney General.
On Tuesday, three Law Lords at the Court of Appeal in London, including the senior judge Lord Chief Justice Woolf, increased Phipps' sentence by an additional two years.
The survivor, a mother of one, expressed her suffering, stating that the trauma from the attacks would stay with her for life, regardless of age.
Detective Constable Paul Clifford, who led the case, commented that serious sexual assaults within domestic violence situations are grave crimes and the increased sentence properly reflects their severity.
