NEIL ROGERS SENTENCED TO SEVEN YEARS FOR SEXUAL OFFENCES IN TEWKESBURY

In December 2008, Neil Rogers, aged 35, was sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of serious sexual offences involving a 16-year-old girl. As he was led to the cells, Rogers shouted, "I'll prove my innocence." The jury had previously found Rogers guilty of raping the girl on a secluded lane in Tewkesbury, as well as sexually assaulting her and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

During the sentencing at Gloucester Crown Court, Judge Mark Horton described Rogers as a "determined sexual predator" with a violent past. The judge commented that Rogers had committed the sexual assault in a public setting, had later given the girl a lift home, and then took her to an isolated spot where he raped her. "I've seen the effects that this case has had on her," the judge stated.

The judge also explained that after the rape, Rogers, aware that a witness had observed the earlier sexual assault, approached this witness in an attempt to obstruct justice.

The court heard that on October 6, Rogers was found guilty by a majority of 10 to 2 on each of the three charges after an eight-hour, 17-minute jury deliberation. The case revealed that Rogers drove the girl down a remote track and raped her, and that earlier in the same evening, he had approached her outside DD’s snooker club in Tewkesbury and groped her.

Rogers, of Churchill Road, Gloucester, was defended by Anna Vigars, who stated that her client had lost everything, including contact with his children, and was "desperate about that situation." However, Judge Horton ordered an extended prison sentence, stating that only immediate custody was appropriate. Rogers received five years for the rape, 12 months consecutive for the sexual assault, and an additional year for attempting to pervert justice, totaling a seven-year term.

The judge instructed that Rogers's release would be after serving half the sentence, with a further three-year extension on his license upon release. Rogers was also ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for life and subject to a sexual offences prevention order with various restrictions. The 64 days he had already served was credited towards his sentence.

As he was taken down, Rogers shouted to supporters and family, "Love you," and declared, "I'll prove my innocence."