FLINTSHIRE CHEF GUILTY OF CHESTER RAPE
A shock occurred during a rape trial when the defendant, a chef from Flintshire, unexpectedly changed his plea to guilty.After nearly two weeks of proceedings at Chester Crown Court, 21-year-old Mark Caunce of Victoria Road, Buckley, who initially denied the charges, admitted to sexually assaulting a woman and causing serious physical injuries.
The victim, a 30-year-old woman, was on a night out in Chester when the assault took place.
The court also dismissed a third charge of sexual assault on the judge’s instruction.
The case now proceeds to sentencing, which is expected to take place in around eight weeks once the relevant reports are compiled.
At the start of the trial, it was detailed that Caunce subjected the woman to a horrific 45-minute attack in a parking area near Parker’s Building on Foregate Street last July.
The assault resulted in severe injuries for the woman, including a broken nose, fractured eye socket and cheekbone, facial bruising, mouth injuries, and internal bleeding.
She required intensive care at the Countess of Chester Hospital for several weeks.
Prosecutor David Potter outlined that after the incident, in the early hours of July 26, Caunce, employed as a trainee chef at the Best Western Queen Hotel on City Road, calmly returned home by taxi from Abbey Taxis, which he reached after crossing the road.
Later, the victim left a nearby alleyway seeking help and was also taken to Abbey Taxis, where emergency services were called due to her injuries.
In his opening remarks, Mr.
Potter emphasized the violence involved, stating, "The force used to commit the rape indicates it was not consensual, contrary to Caunce’s claims." He maintained that the woman was so intoxicated at the time that she could not have consented, and further added that residents near the alley had heard a man shouting and a woman calling for help that night.
