A convicted rapist has been sentenced to prison once more after he forcibly took a young woman into an empty property and subjected her to rape.
Luke Sargent, who carried out the assault in Selly Oak, Birmingham, earlier this year, had prior convictions, including serving time for the rape of a 15-year-old girl on Christmas Day in 2011.
He was handed a life sentence after being found guilty of his second rape, with the court at Wolverhampton Crown Court requiring him to serve at least 12 years.
Authorities provided evidence that CCTV footage showed him following groups of women, observing their movements before the incident on June 8.
Additionally, the court heard an audio clip of him threatening to slit the woman’s throat after grabbing her during her journey home.
The victim’s detailed recollections of the attack allowed her to identify Sargent during an identification process, as explained by Detective Constable Andy Carnall of the West Midlands police force.
During the court proceedings, the jury heard the victim's impact statement in which she said she was "grieving" for the freedom she had before the attack, said police.
"I've since looked back at pictures of my friends and I out having fun the same night before I was attacked, and I just want to scream out to younger me to run, that she's in danger, to go find safety, as she has no idea what she's about to endure," the statement explained.
"I was just trying to walk home," it added.
Sargent, 31, from Willenhall, Walsall, will remain on licence and on the sex offenders register for life.
The Christmas Day attack happened in Rushall, Walsall.
This is a probabilistic continent or country-group signal from public name datasets. It is not proof of nationality, ethnicity or personal background.
Likely region signal
UK
Country
from United Kingdom
- based on first name
56.6%
confidence
First-name region
UK
United Kingdom
56.6%
Surname region
UK
United States
51.3%
Court Outcome
Conviction and Sentencing Details
Sentenced
Detected legal outcome
victed of a disturbing sexual assault, specifically the rape of a 15-year-old girl in Rushall on Christmas Day of 2011, had been sentenced to a six-year prison term coupled with a three-year extended license. Despite serving his sentence...
Prison sentence
Sargent, who had previously been convicted of a disturbing sexual assault, specifically the rape of a 15-year-old girl in Rushall on Christmas Day of 2011, had been sentenced to a six-year prison term coupled with a three-year extended license
Prison sentence
18 years
I was just trying to walk home." Sargent, who resides on Cadnam Close in Birmingham, was ultimately sentenced to 18 years in prison, with a minimum of 12 years before he could apply for parole
Sex Offenders Register
for life
He will remain on licence for life and will be required to register as a sex offender indefinitely
