LUKE MCINTOSH FROM SWINDON JAILED FOR REPEATED RAPE IN PINEHURST
In November 2016, Luke McIntosh, a 22-year-old man from Swindon, was sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of repeatedly raping a 16-year-old girl in his Pinehurst home.The incident took place while McIntosh's mother was asleep upstairs, leaving the young girl vulnerable in his living room.
McIntosh, who was under the influence of alcohol and drugs at the time, claimed that his saliva was found on the girl’s neck because he had been sneezing after snorting a significant amount of cocaine that night.
During the court hearing, Robert Duval, representing the Crown, presented a victim personal statement in which the young girl described the profound impact the assault had on her mental health.
She revealed that she now suffers from depression and anxiety, which have severely limited her social activities.
The girl also shared that she has lost several friends, as some chose to side with McIntosh rather than support her after the attack.
Clare Fear, defending McIntosh, acknowledged her client’s acceptance of the lengthy prison sentence and expressed her client’s desire to turn his life around during his incarceration.
She emphasized that McIntosh now recognizes how his misuse of alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine has exacerbated his mental health issues.
Fear added that McIntosh was looking forward to the enforced abstinence he would undergo in prison, believing it would aid his recovery.
She stated, “He is going to use the time to improve himself and come out a man, as he put it to me.” Judge Douglas Field, presiding over the case, addressed McIntosh directly, highlighting his young age and the mental health challenges he faces, including Asperger’s syndrome and ADHD.
The judge noted that McIntosh had previously received medication and support but chose to abandon his treatment to indulge in alcohol and drugs on the night of the offense.
The judge described the crimes as particularly serious, emphasizing that McIntosh had raped the girl twice in quick succession, both in his living room while his mother was upstairs.
During the sentencing, Judge Field remarked, “You are a young man of 22 and you do have problems: Asperger’s, ADHD, and you had been given medication and some help in the past.
But at the material time, you decided to put your medication to one side so that you could enjoy drink and drugs, and on the night in question, you took cocaine, smoked cannabis, and drank a considerable amount of alcohol.
And you raped this girl who was a young, immature, 16-year-old girl.
The two rapes followed each other in pretty short order.” Following the conviction, the judge ordered McIntosh to register as a sex offender for life and imposed a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim.
He also advised McIntosh that he would be offered help while in custody and urged him to take advantage of it to prevent future offenses.
McIntosh, who resides on Acacia Avenue in Pinehurst, had pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape but was found guilty after a trial held the previous month.
The court heard that McIntosh and the victim had mutual friends, and after he contacted her via social media, she and a friend visited his house in September of the previous year.
The evening was marked by heavy drinking, with McIntosh smoking cannabis and taking cocaine, claiming to have consumed about a gram of the drug.
Around 2:30 a.m., concerned about his drug use, the girl texted her mother asking to be picked up, but her message was sent while she was asleep.
McIntosh then offered the girls the option to stay overnight at his house, which they accepted.
They slept on either side of him in his bed, fully clothed.
During the night, McIntosh took the girl to the living room, where he pushed her onto the sofa and raped her despite her pleas for him to stop.
He later returned to the living room after briefly leaving the bathroom and assaulted her again, biting her neck during the attack.
The girl, determined to leave, managed to get a knife and discussed stabbing people, but McIntosh eventually released her, telling her, “Don’t holler me again,” meaning she should not contact him.
She then contacted her sister’s boyfriend, who lived nearby, and reported the assault.
A medical examination at the police station revealed a bruise on her neck measuring approximately 2cm by 3cm, with McIntosh’s saliva present, along with other signs of sexual contact.
When questioned, McIntosh denied any sexual contact, claiming that the girl was jealous because he was paying more attention to her friend.
The court scheduled a pre-sentence report, and McIntosh was released on bail until November 18, 2016, pending sentencing.
