The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Teenager gets six years for brutal rape
A TEENAGE rapist who subjected a vulnerable woman he had never met before to a terrifying attack has been caged for six years.
Eighteen-year-old Ryan Forde targeted his victim in the early hours of September 11 last year, preying on her vulnerability as she returned home alone after rowing with her boyfriend on a night out in Peterborough city centre.
Forde struck in Burghley Road, refusing to take no for an answer after the 23year-old woman rejected his drunken advances, he overpowered his victim and subjected her to a brutal rape.
The attack might have been much worse were it not for the actions of havea-go hero Gatis Raktins, who intervened by pulling Forde from his screaming victim and punching him.
A jury at Peterborough Crown Court found Forde, of Lilac Road, Peterborough, guilty of rape on April 19.
Yesterday, Judge Nic Madge sentenced him to six years in jail, plus two months for a separate affray conviction, to be served consecutively.
The court heard that Forde came across his victim as she sat on her own in Burghley Road. She had been drinking and had a row with her boyfriend, who had left in the taxi they had both hailed to go home.
After trying to persuade her to come home with him, Forde then stopped her trying to walk away and tried to kiss her. When she resisted, Forde overpowered her, warning her he would “snap her neck” if she did not keep quiet, before forcing himself on her while not wearing protection.
A pre-sentence report into Forde found he was from an unstable background with periods in care and had displayed sexually inappropriate behaviour before, although he had no previous similar convictions.
Judge Madge said: “In this case there are aggravating features. It was late at night and this was a vulnerable victim, who according to your evidence was crying and distressed when you approached her.
“Physical force was used but more significantly you used threats to kill and snap her neck. You also did not use a condom and you were also on bail at the time of the offence.”
Mr Raktins was awarded a £400 reward for his intervention, which led to the arrest of Forde.
Judge Madge said: “Mr Raktins prevented what was an awful experience for the victim from being even worse.”