WREXHAM TEENAGER CONVICTED OF RAPE LOSES APPEAL
A teenage boy from Wrexham, Victor Lucas Vasconcelos De-Jesus, aged 18, faced an appeal after being convicted of a sexual assault.The case involved three separate incidents where he was accused of attacking the same young girl, though he maintained his innocence.
Although the court found him not guilty of two of the charges, he was convicted by the jury at Caernarfon Crown Court of a third rape last August.
He received a sentence of two and a half years in youth custody.
His legal team took the case to the Court of Appeal last month, seeking to have the conviction overturned due to perceived inconsistencies with the not guilty verdicts on the other charges.
His barrister, Paul Smith, argued there was no logical reason for the jury to believe the victim’s testimony on one charge but dismiss it on the others.
Nevertheless, Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, presiding in London, dismissed the appeal yesterday.
He explained that the evidence provided sufficient basis for a jury to distinguish between the different counts.
The conviction related to an incident initially consensual but escalated to rape after the victim asked the defendant to stop.
The other charges differed in circumstances.
In one case, the jury might have believed De-Jesus thought he was acting lawfully, according to Lord Thomas.
Due to the differences between the allegations, the jury’s reasoning process was different for each, and therefore the appeal was rejected.
