Sunderland rapist caged for Valentine's Day attack

Liam Gray had just turned 17 when he attacked the young woman.

He told her that he had no-one to celebrate his birthday with before he forced himself upon her.

The woman read her victim impact statement at court herself and addressed the defendant, previously known as Liam Imeson, as she spoke.

She said: "Rape is not something you can ever get over. It is a life sentence."

The victim said Gray's actions had had a huge impact on her life and she has had sought help from therapists and added that she was constantly remindedof what happened to her every Valentine's Day.

She spoke of how her family had to endure a trial because Gray had pleaded not guilty and that no sentence would truly reflect what she had been throughover the years.

She added: "I want to be happy and I deserve to be happy.

"I really want this to be the start of my life and the life I want to live."

Paul Reid, prosecuting told the court: "This has been 15 years of trauma suffered by (the victim)."

During the same hearing, Gray was also sentenced for contacting an underage decoy created by paedophile hunting groups Guardians of the North and DarkJustice on the app Whisper.

Mr Reid said that Gray had messaged the profile, purporting to belong to a 13-year-old girl called Chloe, using the name "chilled bloke" on several occasions and told her: "You have got to be 16 I think to be legal for sex. Not sure mind. Could be wrong."

The court heard that Gray sent messages that clearly indicated he wished to have sex with "Chloe", "made remarks about the experience of having sex ofthe first time" and requested that she send him "naughty pictures" of herself.

In February this year the vigilante groups traced Gray and confronted him, then took him to Southwick police station where he made no comment duringinterview.

Patrick Harte, defending, said that at the time of the rape "he had no previous convictions. He was immature, he was clearly damaged by a terrible childhood of abuse."

Mr Harte said he understood the impact it has had on the victim and how "awful" the offence was.

He added that Gray had heard the victim's impact statement and that while he maintains the sex was consensual he understood what she has gone through.

He said: "He is fully sorry for what has happened.

"He can assure the court that he will never, ever, again find himself before your honour or any of your brother or sister judges."

He added that prison "has taught him (the defendant) a very severe lesson."

Mr Harte asked the judge to consider that "it happened 15 years ago. For the most part he has remained conviction free" and "the fact that people have had to move on."

Gray, now 32, of Blackwood Road in Town End Farm, Sunderland, pleaded guilty to attempting to sexually communicate with a child at an earlier hearing andwas found guilty of rape by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court

Judge Stephen Earl sentenced Gray to five years and four months in prison.

Judge Earl said the woman had reported the rape soon after it happened and said: "It is frankly reprehensible that the case was not taken forward at the time."

He praised the victim's bravery in making her statement and said at the trial she was "finally being able to tell her story before the court and the jury whofrankly took little time to find this defendant guilty."

He added that he did not accept that Gray was remorseful given that he did not take responsibility for what happened 15-years-ago.

Gray was also made to sign onto the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely.