JASON SEDGWICK SENTENCED TO 16 YEARS IN PRISON IN DERBY FOR SERIAL SEX OFFENSES
A woman who was raped was forced to play dead in a desperate bid to survive a sex assault by Jason Sedgwick, a court was told.Sedgwick, 30, was convicted of multiple sexual assaults after pleading guilty to the rape at Derby Crown Court.
He was sentenced to 16 years in prison, with the court describing how he ripped his victim’s clothes and put his hands around her throat during one attack.
The victim managed to remain still, playing dead, which police believe was the only reason she survived.
The court heard that Sedgwick also sexually assaulted two other women within an eight-month period.
He stalked one woman to her home and entered uninvited while her mother and son slept upstairs to carry out a sexual assault.
Additionally, it was revealed that he groped a third woman on the street, putting his hand down her top.
Judge John Burgess told Sedgwick he was "a danger to women," and sentenced him to 16 years imprisonment.
The judge stated: "Looking at all the offences together, it is a very disturbing pattern, because what you were doing was loitering outside pubs and clubs, waiting to find a vulnerable, lone female who had been seriously affected by drink.
And on three occasions, you exploited their situation for your sexual gratification." He described the offences as "planned, purposeful and predatory." Sedgwick, from Long Eaton, Derbyshire, admitted to the rape charge on the first day of trial in March.
While he denied the two other sexual assaults committed in the months before the rape, the jury found him guilty of both.
Prosecutor Grace Hale described Sedgwick’s final attack, stating: "He approached the woman after she became separated from her friends in the early hours of July 6 last year, after leaving a nightclub in Long Eaton.
She told him to put her down, which he did after repeatedly picking her up like a baby.
She said she needed to call a friend, but her friends were unable to find her until after the attack." Sedgwick was arrested following an appeal by police, when a witness came forward and identified him.
Defense solicitor Kath Goddard said Sedgwick had no memory of the rape but was "truly appalled and ashamed" when he learned of what he had done.
He was informed that he would be on license in the community from his release until 2036 and will be registered as a sex offender for life.
Following sentencing, Detective Inspector Donna Sisson remarked, "This could have been a murder investigation." She praised the victims, calling them "incredibly brave in coming forward and undergoing the judicial process." Investigating officer Detective Constable Ritchie Parkins added, "I'm pleased all three victims have received justice, and I hope they can find some comfort knowing this dangerous man has been taken off the streets."
