DURSLEY MAN JAILED FOR RAPE OF TWO WOMEN
TWO women who were raped by a depraved 23-year-old man have spoken of their horrific ordeal after he was jailed.Brown, of Foundry Rise, Dursley, admitted two counts of rape against the women - both of whom were former partners.
Following sentencing, both Chelsea McPherson and Rio Wager waived their right to lifelong anonymity to speak out in a police statement issued today, Thursday.
Chelsea, aged 22, said: "Michael, coming forward about what you did to me was the scariest thing I've ever done.
I didn't do it for me.
I did it to make sure that you would never hurt anyone again.
I only wish I came forward earlier." Rio, also aged 22, said: "Knowing I was doing the right thing I still felt scared having to talk to the police, but I knew I had to speak out as I could not let him continue to affect me or anyone else and to get away with this.
I needed to have some kind of justice." Brown had been in a relationship with one of the women for around a month when he raped her.
He took her to a location near his address and encouraged her to smoke cannabis, which made her feel unwell.
Brown ignored her when she told him no, withdrawing any consent, and he raped her.
She visited a Sexual Assault Referral Centre and later chose to support a prosecution.
The woman then took part in a video interview with police.
On a separate occasion, Brown had been having consensual sex with another woman he was in a relationship with when she began to feel uncomfortable and repeatedly asked him to stop.
He ignored her and then continued to rape her.
The woman reported the incident to a PCSO a couple of weeks later, and she did a video interview with police.
Brown was arrested and interviewed in relation to both offences of rape, which happened in 2021.
In police interview he said there had been consensual sex with one of the women, and that he had no recollection of the second incident.
Following an investigation by the Constabulary's Criminal Investigation Department, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised charges.
Brown pleaded guilty the day before Chelsea was due to provide evidence to the court in a video-recorded cross examination hearing on April 14 this year.
On May 14 Judge Rupert Lowe sentenced Brown to four years in prison, and due to his guilty plea, this was reduced to three years and two months.
Brown was told he must serve at least 19 months and he was given a 12-year-restraining order not to contact either Chelsea or Rio.
The sentence was challenged by the victims and their supporters as being 'lenient', but the request for review was unsuccessful.
Both women, along with the investigating officer and their support advocates, wrote to the Attorney General's Office to request the sentence be referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
After the sentencing, Rio stated she wanted to waive her anonymity as she felt she should not have to hide due to someone else’s actions.
She described her suffering: "I’m unable to sleep at night due to nightmares, flashbacks and triggers; leaving me with the trauma of reliving the events every day of my life.
I would say to anyone who wants to report something to be mindful that the sentence might not turn out how you would hope, but that shouldn't stop you from reporting.
If you report, you can also stop it from happening to someone else and that is one step closer to protecting others." Chelsea also shared her emotional response, stating she came forward to prevent further harm.
She said: "Michael, coming forward about what you did to me was the scariest thing I’ve ever done.
I didn’t do it for me.
I did it to make sure that you would never hurt anyone again.
I only wish I came forward earlier.
I don’t care for your apologies, if you are even remorseful.
The damage is done.
Although I feel the outcome didn’t fit the crime, I’m still glad I came forward, as you are now in prison and will be on the Sex Offenders' Register for life, preventing you from causing further harm." Her account details how the actions of Brown have profoundly affected her mental health, leading to self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and trauma that persists four years later.
The police spokesperson emphasized that consent can be withdrawn at any time, and commended the victims for their support of the prosecution.
Brown was described as 'vulnerable and immature' in his mitigation, but the court's judgment made clear that his actions had only caused immense suffering to his victims.
