July 2021 Rapist ignored crying victim’s pleas telling her to ‘shut up’ A rapist told his victim to “shut up” when she pleaded with him to stop during a series of sex attacks. Matthew Jones assaulted and raped a woman, who cannot be identified, including an incident when he whipped her with a belt. The 34-year-old left his victim with severe psychological damage, and she says she “still has many days she wishes she was dead”. Liverpool Crown Court heard Jones, of Dorset Road, Tuebrook, denied any wrongdoing and claimed the woman was lying to a jury. But jurors, who saw photos of bruises to her back and thighs, found him guilty of four counts of rape and one of assault causing actual bodily harm. Today it emerged the rapist, who still maintains his innocence, also has a history of violence against another woman – his ex-wife. Describing the abuse, Judge Gary Woodhall said Jones punched his victim, threw things at her, and in one attack removed his belt and hit her with it, leaving her feeling “humiliated”, with bruises the length of her back. The judge said he raped the woman on one occasion when she was ill, “placing your hand on her throat”. He said: “She was crying and saying stop. You told her to shut up.” Judge Woodhall said the woman recalled two or three other occasions when he raped her in a similar way after overpowering her. Gareth Roberts, prosecuting, summarised a victim statement from the woman, who he said now “struggles to lead a normal life”. Mr Roberts said she “constantly feels afraid and scared”, has lost her faith in others, distrusts men, feels “unreasonable revulsion” to any man who looks like her attacker, suffers from panic attacks and has difficulty with any physical contact. Mr Roberts said the victim was left suicidal, adding: “She didn’t want to live because of the memories of what happened to her.” The prosecutor said the woman has undergone counselling, which has helped, but “still has many days she wishes she was dead”. The court heard Jones has four previous convictions for five offences, including battery convictions for violence against his former wife. Judge Woodhall said the victim referred to how Jones’ abuse “changed her” and “she is unable to forget what you did to her”. He said Jones “complained” to the probation officer how the victim “has taken everything away from you” Judge Woodhall jailed Jones for nine and a half years, as a woman in the public gallery shook her head. He said Jones would serve two thirds of this sentence – six years and four months – behind bars, before he is released on licence. The judge ordered Jones to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life and made an indefinite restraining order to protect his victim. Supporters including members of Jones’ family sobbed as he was sent down, with one man shouting: “I love you – you didn’t do it.”