DONCASTER MAN DAVID FLATTERS SENTENCED FOR BRUTAL RAPE AND VIOLENT ABUSE IN DONCASTER
A man from Doncaster, identified as David Flatters, has been handed a lengthy prison sentence after a series of heinous crimes involving a woman from the same area.The disturbing case revealed that Flatters, aged 22, committed a brutal assault that included rape, false imprisonment, and a relentless campaign of physical and psychological abuse.
According to court reports, Flatters waited until his victim was asleep before carrying out the assault.
His actions did not stop there; he issued a series of chilling threats in an attempt to silence her and prevent her from reporting the abuse.
Flatters warned her that he would "send people round to her family's house" and ominously declared that he was going to "watch her take her last breath." These threats were made in the context of the severe injuries she sustained during his violent attacks.
The woman endured a range of injuries, including bruises, bleeding to the head, a black eye, and cuts across her face.
In one particularly horrifying incident, Flatters lured her into the woods, where he beat her with sticks.
During this assault, he stood on the back of her neck while she was face down in the dirt, rendering her unable to breathe.
Such acts of violence highlight the brutality of Flatters' conduct and the extent of his cruelty.
Investigation Officer Rowan Bradbury, who is part of Doncaster’s Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) team, provided insight into the case, stating, "Flatters' offending was savage, calculated and wicked as he subjected his victim to vile abuse both physically and mentally." He praised the victim’s bravery, saying, "She was understandably terrified of him and I want to praise her courage and fortitude in coming forward to tell us about the abuse she had endured at his hands.
It can't have been easy for her and I can't imagine the terror she must have endured but it was her testimony that helped secure a lengthy custodial sentence for Flatters." Following the investigation, Flatters was arrested by police officers and taken into custody.
He faced multiple charges, to which he pleaded guilty, including four counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, false imprisonment, strangulation, common assault, intimidation, and escaping lawful custody.
During a court hearing at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday, May 1, Flatters was sentenced to a total of nine years and five months in prison.
The court also imposed a two-year extension on his license period after his release.
Additionally, Flatters was subjected to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which requires him to notify the Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) whenever he begins a new relationship.
Flatters, who resides on Cranbrook Road in Wheatley, will now serve his sentence and face ongoing restrictions designed to prevent further harm to the public.
