Judge blasts attacker who raped friend’s girl

A FEMALE judge has condemned men who view rape as ‘banter’ after jailing a shop worker for having sex with a woman while she slept as part of a callous prank.

Daniel Dennis, 27, had sneaked into his friend Craig Flash’s hotel bed as he slept next to a 23-yearold woman after a night out and raped her, a court heard.

Judge Hilary Manley said he had done so simply to ‘get one over’ on his friend after Mr Flash had walked in on him previously while he was intimate with a different woman.

She added: ‘It’s sometimes said by men who behave like you and your friends did that night, that it’s just banter and being lads together, but it reflects a deeper and more worrying attitude towards women.’

Jailing Dennis for six years at Manchester Crown Court, she said his antics were shameful, reminding him: ‘You are not 16, you are in your 20s.’

She told him: ‘You displayed a blatant disregard for women with little regards for their feelings.’

On September 6, 2014, Dennis had gone back to a four-star apartment hotel in Manchester city centre with seven friends after travelling from Wolverhampton to celebrate a friend’s 25th birthday.

While there, it was alleged that Dennis, who had a girlfriend at the time, appeared in the room after the victim had consented to sex with Mr Flash and fallen asleep.

Dennis then went into the bathroom with Mr Flash to tell him he wanted to sleep with the 23-year-old woman. During the trial, Dennis claimed that he was trying to get his own back on Mr Flash, who had on an earlier occasion stopped him from having sex with a different woman by walking in on them while intimate.

Judge Manley said Dennis had waited for his friend to get back into bed and nod off before raping the ‘vulnerable’ woman as ‘she slept in bed next to the man she hoped would protect her’.

She said: ‘You specifically targeted her whether due to your need for sex or to get one over on your friend. She woke up and screamed at you to get off her. It must have been a traumatic, frightening and embarrassing experience for her.

‘You then tried to front it out by claiming she welcomed you to have sexual intercourse with her. She no longer feels safe, she feels vulnerable and suffers mood swings.’

Defending, Parveen Mansoor said: ‘This incident was out of character for him. The behaviour described in the night in question was childish and naive.

‘His girlfriend had been very supportive in relation to this matter and she will stand by Mr Dennis come what may because she believes she knows the true character.

‘She says he doesn’t socialise any more. It’s had an effect on him too. It’s a sad state of affairs, all round there’s no winners.’

As Dennis, who denied rape, was sentenced, his sister Rachel flew into a rage and accused the judge of being ‘racist’.

In a victim impact statement, the victim said: ‘Since what happened, my whole life has changed.’

‘Blatant disregard for women’