CLINTON MANNING FROM MARGATE CONVICTED OF RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT AFTER HOUSE PARTY NIGHTMARE
| Red Rose Database
Margate Rapist
A disturbing incident unfolded in Margate when an amateur boxer named Clinton Manning was found hiding in a cupboard by police following a brutal assault. The victim, an intoxicated woman, had woken up to find Manning, who resides on Caxton Road in Margate, sexually assaulting her in a state of confusion and fear.
The court heard that the assault took place during the early hours after an evening filled with heavy drinking and cannabis smoking, involving a mixture of friends and strangers. Prosecutor Paul Valder described how the woman awoke to Manning pulling down her jeans and groping her, leaving her feeling helpless and unsure of how to react. The woman later told police that she simply froze during the attack, unable to move or speak.
According to the prosecution, Manning then proceeded to rape her. The court was shown evidence that after hours of drinking and smoking, some of the group left, and Manning fell asleep on a mattress next to the woman. She recounted waking up to someone touching her and feeling pain, describing her state as one of paralysis and shock. When questioned by her defense lawyer, Kieran Brand, about why she did not resist, she explained that Manning had claimed to be a boxer and was much stronger than her, which made her afraid of getting hurt.
Following the assault, the woman waited until Manning was asleep before waking her friend and leaving the flat in a panic. She reported the incident to the authorities a few hours later. Police body-worn footage from that night was played in court, showing officers arriving at the scene to find Manning hiding in a cupboard, dressed only in shorts. When asked why he was hiding, Manning claimed that rumors had spread suggesting he had raped a girl, but he denied any wrongdoing. He insisted that the sex was consensual, stating, “There’s no way she said anything like, ‘No,’ like, she didn’t say, ‘Yes, f*** me,’ but she was moving up to me and groaning, so I just done what any person would have done.”
Manning further justified his actions by saying, “She’s not even on my f***ing level - I was just trying to do her a favour.” During cross-examination, he explained that by “doing her a favour,” he meant that she was not as attractive as women he usually had sex with and that she was not “anything special.” He claimed that he and the victim had been flirting throughout the evening and that they had played footsie on the mattress, leading him to believe that sex was consensual, despite admitting he was never given explicit verbal consent.
The jury, however, saw through Manning’s lies. They unanimously convicted him of rape and sexual assault. Manning was acquitted of an additional attempted rape charge but was convicted on the sexual assault charge by a narrow 10-2 majority. Throughout the verdict, Manning remained emotionless, while his father was seen sobbing in the public gallery. Judge David Jeremy KC ordered pre-sentence reports and scheduled sentencing for July 4. Manning was granted bail to allow mental health assessments to be conducted in a home setting, but the judge made it clear that Manning faces a lengthy prison sentence. “Mr Manning is well aware of what fate awaits him,” the judge stated, emphasizing that Manning is destined for a substantial period behind bars.
The court heard that the assault took place during the early hours after an evening filled with heavy drinking and cannabis smoking, involving a mixture of friends and strangers. Prosecutor Paul Valder described how the woman awoke to Manning pulling down her jeans and groping her, leaving her feeling helpless and unsure of how to react. The woman later told police that she simply froze during the attack, unable to move or speak.
According to the prosecution, Manning then proceeded to rape her. The court was shown evidence that after hours of drinking and smoking, some of the group left, and Manning fell asleep on a mattress next to the woman. She recounted waking up to someone touching her and feeling pain, describing her state as one of paralysis and shock. When questioned by her defense lawyer, Kieran Brand, about why she did not resist, she explained that Manning had claimed to be a boxer and was much stronger than her, which made her afraid of getting hurt.
Following the assault, the woman waited until Manning was asleep before waking her friend and leaving the flat in a panic. She reported the incident to the authorities a few hours later. Police body-worn footage from that night was played in court, showing officers arriving at the scene to find Manning hiding in a cupboard, dressed only in shorts. When asked why he was hiding, Manning claimed that rumors had spread suggesting he had raped a girl, but he denied any wrongdoing. He insisted that the sex was consensual, stating, “There’s no way she said anything like, ‘No,’ like, she didn’t say, ‘Yes, f*** me,’ but she was moving up to me and groaning, so I just done what any person would have done.”
Manning further justified his actions by saying, “She’s not even on my f***ing level - I was just trying to do her a favour.” During cross-examination, he explained that by “doing her a favour,” he meant that she was not as attractive as women he usually had sex with and that she was not “anything special.” He claimed that he and the victim had been flirting throughout the evening and that they had played footsie on the mattress, leading him to believe that sex was consensual, despite admitting he was never given explicit verbal consent.
The jury, however, saw through Manning’s lies. They unanimously convicted him of rape and sexual assault. Manning was acquitted of an additional attempted rape charge but was convicted on the sexual assault charge by a narrow 10-2 majority. Throughout the verdict, Manning remained emotionless, while his father was seen sobbing in the public gallery. Judge David Jeremy KC ordered pre-sentence reports and scheduled sentencing for July 4. Manning was granted bail to allow mental health assessments to be conducted in a home setting, but the judge made it clear that Manning faces a lengthy prison sentence. “Mr Manning is well aware of what fate awaits him,” the judge stated, emphasizing that Manning is destined for a substantial period behind bars.