LUIS CALADO, CONVICTED OF RAPE IN WORCESTER, FOR ATTACK ON WOMAN WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES
A man named Luis Calado, a convicted sex offender, has been found guilty of rape following an attack on a different woman in her home.Calado was unanimously convicted at Worcester Crown Court on Friday of one count of rape and one count of sexual assault by penetration.
The prosecution will now consider whether to proceed with a trial for a second count of rape, on which the jury could not reach a verdict.
Calado, 28 years old, was also convicted last December of sexually assaulting another woman with learning difficulties, a conviction that was brought to the court’s attention during this trial.
Those sexual assaults happened on the same day in July 2018.
During the court proceedings, Calado showed little emotion in the dock, though sobbing could be heard from the public gallery when the guilty verdicts were announced shortly after 4 pm.
The jury had deliberated for five hours and 18 minutes.
The attacks occurred on August 10 of the previous year.
During the trial, Mr.
Nelson highlighted Calado’s attempts to contact the victim after the assault.
"You knew by this stage your number was up and she was going to go to the police because you had raped her," Mr.
Nelson stated.
Calado responded from the witness box, "Absolutely not." When asked why he was trying to call her at 2:30 am, he replied, "I didn’t know she had blocked my number." Mr.
Nelson pressed him about his persistent calling and texting, but Calado disagreed, saying, "I don’t agree with that.
That’s very incorrect." Referring to the previous sexual assault, the prosecutor noted, "You have a propensity to sexually assault women," to which Calado replied, "Absolutely not." In his closing argument, Mr.
Nelson described the sexual assaults as resulting from 'a chance encounter' and suggested Calado was aware of the woman's vulnerability.
"I suggest to you that he knew, there and then, that she was vulnerable," he said.
"He changed the tempo, knowing there was a vulnerability.
He moved to get what he wanted—sex—whether she consented or not." Mr.
Nelson argued that the victim became 'a sitting duck,' emphasizing that Calado had engaged in physical contact within about 30 minutes of their interaction.
The prosecution stated that the woman withdrew her consent, but Calado showed no regard for her protests.
He made no effort to determine her willingness or whether she consented, displaying solely an interest in his own gratification.
The prosecution characterized Calado as a man with a pattern of predatory behavior towards women.
During this ordeal, the victim likely felt utterly powerless.
Calado was remanded in custody and will be sentenced during a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, March 2, subject to any decisions by the prosecution.
