Rotherham man jailed for raping 15-year-old girl on a field on their way to McDonald's

ROTHERHAM MAN JAILED FOR RAPING 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL ON A FIELD ON THEIR WAY TO MCDONALD'S

A man from Rotherham has received a four-year prison sentence after confessing to raping a girl twice when both were teenagers at age 15.

Thomas Ball, now aged 22, assaulted the girl on a field in Wickersley, Rotherham, in April 2018.

That evening, she had been out with friends before walking toward a McDonald's with Ball.

It was on this field that he forcibly pulled her hair, dragged her down, and despite her protests for him to cease, covered her mouth and proceeded to rape her twice.

Ball was taken into custody early the following day after the girl reported the assault to McDonald's staff.

Although he initially denied the charges and maintained his innocence on social media, he later admitted to the misconduct during a preliminary hearing in January 2021.

Further investigation revealed additional allegations from another victim, who accused Ball of emotional abuse.

Her statements prompted police to uncover a third instance of rape.

Ultimately, Ball faced charges of three counts of rape, two counts of coercive and controlling behaviour, and one count of perverting the course of justice after attempting to contact a witness related to the initial rape case.

At a trial held at Leeds Crown Court in November 2021, Ball was convicted of coercive and controlling behaviour as well as perverting the course of justice.

The jury was unable to reach a verdict concerning the third count of rape.