WOMAN HAUNTED BY HORRIFIC RAPE IN HER OWN HOME SAYING 'MY LIFE HAD NO VALUE'
Lewis Miller received a seven-year prison sentence after being convicted of a serious sexual assault.A woman who was raped inside her own residence after an intruder broke in described the experience as having completely changed her identity.
The unnamed victim recounted the traumatic event during a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court, expressing feelings that her life had become meaningless following the attack.
On June 22, it was disclosed that 25-year-old Lewis Miller, from Hankinson Street in Old Swan, entered the complainant’s home without permission before assaulting her sexually.
According to the Liverpool Echo, prosecutor Robert Dudley highlighted the lasting psychological damage inflicted by the incident.
During her testimony, the woman appeared emotional as she explained: "The day I was raped changed my life forever.
I felt disgusting, like a disgrace to my father, and questioned my own worth." She added, "It has destroyed who I am.
The shame is overwhelming.
My father has to see his daughter fall apart, and I am plagued by nightmares, anxiety, and paranoia." Her father also spoke in court, describing how the incident disrupted their lives: "It started as a normal Saturday morning, but at 11:30 am I received a call that forever changed me.
My daughter told me she had been raped.
As a father, I can't think of anything worse." He emphasized her usual trusting nature and the trauma of the court proceedings, noting how the perpetrator had violated his daughter.
Miller, who had prior convictions unrelated to this case, was represented by defense lawyer Martine Snowdon, who stated that her client was a generally well-behaved individual, then only 22 at the time of the offense.
She highlighted his ongoing mental health struggles and self-harming issues, emphasizing his fear of the prison sentence he faced.
Following a trial, Miller was convicted of rape and penetration assault, and he appeared via video from HMP Liverpool to be sentenced to seven years.
Judge Dennis Watson KC condemned the offense, stating: "You exploited her sexually for your own gratification.
You entered her home uninvited, where she should have felt safe." He acknowledged Miller’s age and lack of previous convictions as mitigating factors and ordered him to be subject to a lifelong sex offenders' registry and a restraining order preventing contact with the victim.
