RAPIST WHO CLAIMED HE WAS FRIENDS WITH LEONARDO DICAPRIO FINALLY BROUGHT TO JUSTICE 20 YEARS AFTER KNIFEPOINT ATTACK
A RAPIST who boasted in court about his celebrity connections is facing jail.Pierre Bate, 42, broke into his victim’s home in London in 1996 and repeatedly assaulted her as he threatened to kill her and harm her two children.
During the trial Bate had insisted he was the victim of a ‘perfect storm’ and had boasted of his links to Hollywood stars.
He called former Jamiroquai drummer Nick Van Gelder to give evidence in his defence.
The musician seemed to confirm that they had partied with Leonardo DiCaprio.
Bate also claimed to have dated Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia, though that has not been confirmed.
After the verdicts were announced, the court heard an impact statement from the victim.
She spoke of how the rapes had affected her physical and mental health, and thanks DS Karen Gradley who had helped her through the case since 2011.
She wrote: “I was numb, vacant, scared and angry.
“It has been 20 years of insomnia – sleep deprivation is torture.
“It has changed me as a person – I was always happy, outgoing and had plans but since this I have become a recluse.
“This man has ruined my life and the lives of my children for the last 20 years.
“‘It was terrifying – the rapist broke into her house at night and raped her repeatedly in different ways.
“Her children were asleep in the house.
“About 1.15am she rolled over, half asleep, and sensed that something was wrong in the room.
“She opened her eyes and saw a man squatting on her make-up counter, right next to her bed.
“He was a stranger to her and he turned his head and he looked straight at her.
The woman tried to grab the knife but Bate pinned her down on the bed and ‘tried to twist her face away so she couldn’t see his face’.
He put on a fake Irish accent and told her to do what he said because his friend was with her children.
The rapist claimed to have once dated Natalie Imbruglia.
