Western Morning News (Saturday)
Multiple rapist is given 24-year prison sentence
AMAN has been jailed for 24 years for raping five young women in the Westcountry after spiking their drinks.
Tom Wade-Allison, 25, of Martock, attacked the women in Somerset and Devon between March 2016 and November 2017.
He was convicted of nine counts of rape, three of assault by penetration, one of attempted rape and one of sexual assault following a trial at Exeter Crown Court.
The court heard an investigation into Wade-Allison was launched after a woman reported to police that he had raped her when she was unable to consent.
Judge Timothy Rose said WadeAllison “took advantage” of the five women and administered an unknown substance to at least two of them. “You laced their drinks with a substance, whatever it may have been, a substance that disorientated them by means to facilitate your sexual acts upon them,” the judge told him. “This was utterly against their will and against their knowledge. We don’t know what the substance was.
“On the evidence heard during the trial, I am absolutely sure that this is what you did.
“There is no other rational explanation for the disorientation and out of body experiences that they described in their evidence.”
The judge said victim personal statements from the five women described how they had suffered panic attacks, loss of confidence, “tearful and fearful episodes”, and did not feel safe following the rapes.
He told Wade-Allison he had displayed “no thoughts or feelings” towards the women, had “no hesitation” administering a substance to them and had “no concept” of the pain he inflicted upon them.
Wade-Allison had carried out a “campaign of rape”, attacking the five women in similar circumstances and was “not deterred at any stage”, the judge said.
Judge Rose jailed Wade-Allison for 24 years and said he must serve a minimum of 16 years in prison, as well as registering as a sex offender for life. He said Wade-Allison “remains dangerous to women” and had expressed no remorse or acceptance for his crimes.
After the defendant had been led to the cells, the judge commended the five victims in the case and said they had showed a “great deal of bravery” in coming forward.
Detective Constable Simon Fennell, of Avon and Somerset Police, said Wade-Allison deserved his lengthy prison sentence due to the “magnitude of his behaviour”.
“His crimes will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on his victims’ lives. This has been a long, emotionally and mentally draining journey for each of them,” he said.
“They are survivors, and their courage and determination to see this case through to its conclusion is testament to this.”
Jill Macnamara, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “I would like to thank all of these women and I hope that today’s sentence goes some way to providing them with the justice they deserve.”