A FALFIELD man who repeatedly punched then raped a woman has been jailed for ten-and-a-half years.
Avon & Somerset police said Inderjit Singh Bains, aged 46, of Heneage Lane, had picked up the sex worker in his van from a street in the St Werburghs area of Bristol in January 2002.
He and the woman, who cannot be named, agreed a fee and a place to go but instead Bains drove up the M32 before turning off and stopping in a secluded area off Stoke Lane, Stapleton.
Police said the woman asked him for payment but instead Bains punched her repeatedly to the face and body, causing her to lose and swallow a tooth.
He then raped her, without using a condom, before telling her to get dressed and driving her back into the city.
The victim reported the incident to the One25 Project, a charity which supports street sex workers, to warn other women, including a detailed description of her attacker and his van’s number plate.
She reported the attack to the police in 2022 and could still remember the number plate of Bains’ van.
A jury unanimously found Bains guilty of rape and assault causing actual bodily harm following a trial at Bristol Crown Court in March.
Victim still has ‘flashbacks, panic attacks and nightmares’
A statement written by the victim, who is now in her 50s, described the effect on her life.
She said: “The immediate impact of this crime on me was so traumatic that I used heroin to suppress any emotional impact; the physical impacts of the attack healed after time, but the emotional impact will stay with me forever.
“The flashbacks, panic attacks and nightmares I have continue to this day. I truly thought I was going to die that night – that kind of trauma is not easily fixed.
“There is still so much judgement and stigma around women who are trapped in the lifestyle I was, that it’s easier to let people think I’m crazy, as how do I explain what happened to me?
“For me to come forward again all these years later was the hardest decision I had to make, as I didn’t trust the police or the justice system to take me or the crime against me seriously…I didn’t realise how much emotional trauma I’d locked away about the attack.
“If it wasn’t for the empathetic, non-judgemental nature of my investigating officer, I would never have put myself through the re-traumatising effects of a trial, but I am told this is also part of my healing process.
At a sentencing hearing held earlier today in Bains’ absence, Judge James Patrick said the offence involved “a degree of abduction” and was “prolonged and persistent”.
After the hearing, the victim said she also wanted to thank the jury for believing her and delivering a guilty verdict.
‘Lifetime of trauma’
Investigating officer PC Chris Quick, of Operation Bluestone, said: “Bains carried out a cruel, callous and violent attack on a vulnerable victim, leaving her with horrible injuries and a lifetime of trauma.
“She’s had to spend the last 23 years without the justice she deserved, but her decision to come forward and report this offence is a testament to her enduring strength and courage.
“I’m so pleased she had enough faith in the police to believe she’d be listened to and to trust us to investigate this terrible crime.”
One25 chief executive Jennifer Riley said: “The courage and bravery shown by this woman is truly inspiring. We are relieved and encouraged to see the perpetrator of this heinous crime being brought to justice. Street sex workers experience alarmingly high levels of violence and abuse and far too often do not receive the justice they deserve.”
Victims of rape or sexual assault, recent or non-recent, can self-refer to The Bridge, a Sexual Assault Referral Centre available 24/7 365 days a year, online or by calling 0117 342 6999.
For more information about One25 visit the charity’s website.