Rapist called 'brave' by judge for confessing to his crime

Vannak Rowe pictured outside court. (SWNS)
Vannak Rowe pictured outside court. (SWNS) (Paul Beard / SWNS)

A rapist labelled "brave" by a judge for confessing to his crime has been jailed for three years.

Vannak Rowe, 22, forced himself on his victim after she repeatedly refused to have sex with him at her home in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

The woman was too scared to report him and Rowe sent her a text days later threatening to kill her father, a court heard.

When she finally found the courage to contact police they discovered texts sent by Rowe in which he confessed to the rape.

Rowe, of Hinckley, Leicestershire, initially admitted rape but later changed his plea to not guilty. He then confessed to the crime on the first day of his trial at Warwick Crown Court.

Jailing Rowe for three years and two months, judge Andrew Lockhart said he had been "brave" when he initially confessed.

The judge said Rowe was of previous good character but could not escape a custodial sentence.

He said: “You sought to persuade her to have sex with you, and she said no from the outset. You knew when you penetrated her that she was not consenting.

“Arrested, you had plainly come to the view that you had raped her, and you were right about that.

“You were brave in that interview, and you made appropriate admissions.

“But your bravery deserted you.

“Since that time you have not behaved well at all, seeking to say you did not understand the interview when, on any basis, you understood everything.”

The court heard Cambodia-born Rowe attacked the woman after she agreed to let him stay at her home in January last year.

Warwickshire Justice Centre in Leamington Spa, which incorporates the Magistrates Court and replaces Warwick Crown Court.   (Photo by David Jones/PA Images via Getty Images)
Rowe was sentenced to three years and two months in jail at Warwick Crown Court. (David Jones/PA Images via Getty Images) (David Jones - PA Images via Getty Images)

Matthew Barnes, prosecuting, said the victim woke up with Rowe groping her and begging her for sex.

Barnes said: “She made it perfectly clear she did not wish to.

“When she said no, he said he wanted to and asked her to allow him to, and said he needed her to give in.

“She turned away from him, and he forced himself inside her from behind. She did not consent at any time. She was crying and telling him to stop.”

Rowe left his victim's home and days later sent her threatening text messages prompting her to contact police.

He was arrested and, when he was interviewed without an interpreter, admitted in English that he had raped her.

He told officers: “I pulled my trousers down to my knee. I pulled her shorts to the side and had sex."

Rowe, who admitted his victim said no, was asked: “What else was she saying to you other than ‘no’? Was she saying anything else?” He replied: “No.”

James Bide-Thomas, defending, said Rowe, who had lived in the UK since he was 12 years old, was sorry for his crime.

He said: “The greatest sadness is that, having made full admissions in interview, he has chosen to take the matter as far as this.

“An early guilty plea would have made a significant difference.

“Mr Rowe knows he is going to prison today. He has asked me to apologise for the offence he’s committed.”

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