DARRAN CALLAGHAN FROM SOUTHSEA PORTSMOUTH SENTENCED FOR RAPE AND DRUGGING IN RUGBY
A court has sentenced 48-year-old Darren Callaghan from Southsea in Portsmouth to 16 years in prison for a brutal assault involving spiking a woman’s drink with ecstasy, then blaming her injuries on supernatural causes.Callaghan claimed his victim became "sex-crazed" after taking MDMA and bizarrely asserted that she turned "like something out of the Exorcist."The woman woke the next morning semi-naked, with 80 injuries all over her body, prompting Callaghan to try to convince her that ghosts or demons were responsible.
However, the court was told that "this was nothing to do with ghosts," and that Callaghan had laced her drink with drugs before raping her.Found guilty of rape, administering a noxious substance with intent to stupefy, and assault following a trial at Warwick Crown Court in October, Callaghan was sentenced on Tuesday.
He will serve a 16-year extended prison term and will only be eligible for release if the Parole Board deems it safe.
Upon release, he will remain on licence for the remaining sentence plus five additional years and must register as a sex offender for life.
Judge Andrew Lockhart QC described the case as "one of the most appalling pieces of violence associated with rape that the court has witnessed in many years." He told Callaghan: "Your actions have as good as ruined her life.
You met her on a dating website, brought drugs with you, and intended to give them to her.
It was a powerful form of MDMA, and you knew it would massively impact someone not accustomed to taking it.
You gave her such drugs with the aim of incapacitating her, for your own twisted desires, to sexually assault and abuse her."The judge further noted that Callaghan falsely claimed her seizures and injuries were caused by supernatural activity, saying: "This was a cruel aspect of your behaviour, and you showed yourself to be dangerous and manipulative." During the hearing, Callaghan, from Southsea, repeatedly interrupted the judge, loudly proclaiming his innocence.
Defense lawyer Kim Preston said: "He feels passionately and indignantly about his version of events." She added that he experienced a distortion in his mind regarding whether the victim could consent during the incident.
She stated, "This defendant did not set out that night to go to her home and assault and rape her." However, Judge Lockhart emphasized: "That may be your assessment, but my assessment is different, and the jury's findings are very different." Prosecutor Adrian Fleming explained that Callaghan traveled 140 miles from the south coast to Rugby to meet the woman he met online.
He stated: "While out with her, he spiked her drink with MDMA without her knowledge, then assaulted her, causing multiple injuries, and raped her while she was under the influence of the drug." Mr.
Fleming described how the combination of the drug and her alcohol consumption left her unable to consent.
The woman had met Callaghan through a dating app, and their online chats involved discussions about sex, including him sending her a revealing picture.
They arranged for Callaghan to travel to Rugby for a face-to-face meeting.
Upon arrival, the woman described how Callaghan became "a little boisterous" and tried to pull her trousers down, which she asked him to stop.
They then visited several pubs in Rugby, where she drank five or more glasses of wine before returning to her home in a taxi.
When they arrived, she recalled Callaghan making them both a Jack Daniels and Coke.
She felt "pretty drunk" and noticed her drink tasted odd, after which she began to feel unwell and had a seizure.
Her memories after that point are vague.
It is the Crown’s case that MDMA was secretly added to her drink, which she did not knowingly consume.
Although callaghan admitted giving her a small amount of MDMA, he claimed it was at her request.
The following morning, she woke up in bed, semi-naked apart from her bra, with Callaghan lying next to her, also undressed.
She noticed injuries across her body and asked if he had punched her, to which he responded that she was "possessed" and that "there was a demon in her house." The Crown stated that her injuries had nothing to do with supernatural causes, and that Callaghan had inflicted them in reality.
The victim has no memory of having sex with him and believes that any sexual activity without her consent was rape.
Outside court, Warwickshire Police’s Detective Inspector Cindy Stephenson said: "This was a horrific crime that has had a profound impact on the victim.
While I am sure she will never fully get over what Callaghan did, I hope she can take some comfort from this verdict and start to move on with her life."
