A lorry driver has been jailed for 14 years after he took his condom off during sex without consent and told the victim he was HIV positive.
Laurence Rafter, 43, from Barnet, north London, contacted the victim, 32, on a dating app in July 2021 posting as a man called ‘Jay Lincoln’.
They met at the woman’s home address in Islington, when Rafter raped the victim who requested he wear a condom.
As he left the address, he told her he was HIV positive, which was later revealed to be a lie.
Rafter was found to have set up a false address and bank statement, as well as using a pre-paid mobile in an attempt to avoid police detection.
He also claimed to live in a multi-million pound house, but in reality was living in a flat.
A jury found him guilty of rape in October, and he also pleaded guilty to harassing the victim.
This Is Not Right
On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a year-long campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women.
Throughout the year we will be bringing you stories that shine a light on the sheer scale of the epidemic.
With the help of our partners at Women’s Aid, This Is Not Right aims to engage and empower our readers on the issue of violence against women.
You can find more articles here, and if you want to share your story with us, you can send us an email at vaw@metro.co.uk.
Read more:
- Introducing This Is Not Right: Metro’s year-long violence against women campaign
- Yvette Cooper’s message to abusers and rapists: The streets don’t belong to you
- Remembering the women killed by men in 2024
- Stories about violence against women don’t make an impact – this is why
- Men – we need your help to end violence against women
- What to do if your loved one is at risk from domestic abuse
In February 2022 he plead guilty to malicious communications and threats to disclose a private image towards two separate victims.
Rafter had also used a fake name and had met the woman online, and became threatening towards them after meeting them.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Ridley said: ‘I would like to commend this survivor for the bravery she demonstrated in this case and the evidence she provided.
This Is Not Right
On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a year-long campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women.
Throughout the year we will be bringing you stories that shine a light on the sheer scale of the epidemic.
With the help of our partners at Women’s Aid, This Is Not Right aims to engage and empower our readers on the issue of violence against women.
You can find more articles here, and if you want to share your story with us, you can send us an email at vaw@metro.co.uk.
Read more:
- Introducing This Is Not Right: Metro’s year-long violence against women campaign
- Yvette Cooper’s message to abusers and rapists: The streets don’t belong to you
- Remembering the women killed by men in 2024
- Stories about violence against women don’t make an impact – this is why
- Men – we need your help to end violence against women
- What to do if your loved one is at risk from domestic abuse
‘The robust sentence delivered by the judge clearly demonstrates the significant dangerousness that this man poses to women.
‘The investigation team carried out an expansive, diligent and relentless investigation to identify Rafter and secured the evidence to bring him to justice ensuring that the victim was supported throughout.
‘Rafter is a predatory offender who exploited social media to facilitate his violent and abusive behaviour.
He devised a fictitious profile posing as a wealthy businessman with multiple businesses around the world in a calculated campaign to violate, threaten and harm the women he met.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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