Former teacher jailed for rape and harassment
A PREDATORY former teacher turned mixed martial arts fighter has been jailed for seven-and-ahalf years for raping one woman and harassing another with intent to rape her.
Brad Conway, 37, who taught maths, was found guilty last August following a retrial at Bradford Crown Court.
A judge sentenced him for the crimes on Wednesday after the Crown Prosecution Service offered “no evidence” in respect of another rape allegation due to be tried later this year.
Conway originally went on trial back October 2017 accused of raping and sexually abusing five women, but he was cleared of charges of rape, voyeurism, sexual assault and false imprisonment in respect of three of the complainants.
At his retrial last year, the jury heard how Conway forced a woman to perform oral sex on him at a property in Bradford following a night out in Leeds.
Conway was also convicted of harassing a second woman with intent to commit rape after he “bombarded” her with emails which included threats to send sexually explicit photos to her parents and others.
After the jury returned their guilty verdicts last August, Judge Neil Davey QC remanded Conway, of Berwick Street, Halifax, into custody to await sentence.
During his evidence to the jury last year Conway, who previously lived in Wibsey, Bradford, said he had played semiprofessional rugby league with Dewsbury Rams and Hunslet Hawks and had even had a stint with the United States national rugby league team. Conway also said he had competed in about 300 mixed martial arts fights.
It is understood that Conway, who had no previous convictions, taught maths at a Brighouse secondary school after doing his teacher training at Bradford College.
Barrister Stephen Uttley submitted references on behalf of Conway, including a newspaper report from July 2015 about his client going to the aid of a teenage girl who was being attacked in front of a “baying crowd” near a college in Bradford.
But Judge Davey told the father-of-one that his previous character masked “an arrogant belief ” that he was entitled to have women do whatever he wanted them to do.
The judge said one victim had described how Conway appeared generous and capable of great charm while also being controlling and prone to outbursts of temper.
Judge Davey said Conway started harassing the woman after seeing a Facebook photo of her on a night out and believing in his “warped mind” she was somehow disrespecting him.
Drunken Conway, who will have to register as a sex offender for life, later went on to orally rape another woman after she refused to have sex with him after a night out in Leeds.
The judge jailed Conway for a total of seven-and-a-half years for the two offences and imposed an indefinite restraining order which bans him from contacting either complainant.