JAY CONNOR SENTENCED TO NINE YEARS IN PRISON IN GUILDFORD FOR APPALLING SEXUAL OFFENCES
A man whose heinous crimes, including the rape of a 14-year-old girl, led to his imprisonment has been sentenced.Jay Louis Benjamin Connor, aged 20, of Kingswood Road, Tadworth, received a 9-year prison sentence plus an additional five years on extended licence after being convicted of multiple sexual offences, including six counts of rape.
The verdict followed a six-week trial at Guildford Crown Court.
Connor was arrested on October 30, 2019, in a car park at Epsom Downs after police officers found him in his vehicle with a young girl and noted suspicious behavior.
The girl, under 16, later told officers that she had been raped by Connor.
He was taken into custody immediately.
Further investigations revealed that Connor was already known to Surrey Police, who led the investigation, and that he was under investigation for other allegations dating back to 2018.
The police described the investigation as "complex," involving seven complainants over three years.
A police statement following Connor’s sentencing explained, "Even after being arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault, Connor continued to meet further victims.
With almost all the victims, Connor would fabricate stories about his past and health to manipulate them into sexual activity." Throughout the trial, Connor maintained that all victims were lying.
Ultimately, he was found guilty of six counts of rape of a female aged 14 or over, two counts of sexual activity with a child, and one count of sexual assault by penetration.
In addition to his prison sentence, Connor was issued a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
One victim, who was just 15 at the time of the attack, shared her emotional response after his conviction: "I can't trust boys or men, and I don't see how I can have a normal relationship because I can't bear to be touched.
I don't know when it's safe to accept kind words.
I don't want to look the same or be attractive the way I was before.
I don't want any man to see me as an object for his use again." She added, "I crumble and have panic attacks when catcalled.
I just can't live a normal teenage life.
The scars are deep, and I need to feel safe again.
It’s hard to fully explain how much he has affected my life.
I survived, but the pain remains." Another young woman, 14 when Connor assaulted her in Priory Park, Reigate, spoke about her hopes to help others.
"I never expected this to happen to me.
I felt so tiny and alone, overwhelmed by confusing emotions.
I now see that Jay had a plan and knew exactly what he was doing.
Everyone should understand that saying 'no' means 'no.' I carry this experience with me, but I refuse to be a victim forever.
I want to speak out and do what’s right for myself and others."
