RAPIST TOLD POLICE HE WAS 'CELIBATE' AFTER ARREST FOR RAPE OF WOMAN
Michael Burns, aged 56, has received a prison sentence of over five years after being convicted of raping a woman.A man from South Tyneside who assaulted a woman while she was sleeping has been sentenced to more than five years in prison.
The attack by Burns deeply affected the woman's confidence and well-being.
During the court hearing, it was revealed that the victim, who was vulnerable and whom Burns did not know, had fallen asleep and was later awakened to find him assaulting her.
Burns initially denied the allegations but changed his plea to guilty on the day his trial began after evidence showed his DNA on the victim’s underwear.
On Thursday, Burns, of South Shields, appeared in Newcastle Crown Court via video link from HMP Durham to be sentenced for the crime of rape.
Prosecutor Emma Dowling described her account: "She awoke to find the defendant engaged in penetrative sex with her.
She pushed him away and managed to escape." DNA analysis linked Burns to the underwear of the victim, and police interviewed him five months following the incident.
During questioning, he denied the attack, claiming that he was celibate and had not been involved.
In her statement, the survivor said that the assault caused her to lose confidence, become more anxious, and develop nerves.
She expressed frustration that Burns denied the offence for so long, stating, "It is something I will never really get over." Court records indicated that Burns had a history of 19 convictions involving 44 offenses, none related to sexual violence.
In 1994, he was sentenced to four years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving.
Defence lawyer Claire Anderson requested leniency, citing Burns's guilty plea and describing him as a "vulnerable individual" with issues related to alcoholism.
She also mentioned his mental health struggles and that he sincerely apologizes to the victim.
Judge Stephen Earl said: "Rape is a horrific offence.
It is one of the most horrific offences you can commit against a woman as a man.
It is the grossest violation of a person." Burns was sentenced to five years and nine months imprisonment.
He will be subject to lifelong registration on the sex offenders' register and is required to pay a victim surcharge of £228.
