NATHAN THORBURN AND SHOCKING RAPE IN CARDIFF
In a disturbing case that has deeply shaken the community, Nathan Thorburn, a 25-year-old man from Cardiff, was convicted of heinous sexual offences involving a vulnerable woman at a student accommodation in the city.The incident took place in 2019, and the subsequent legal proceedings have revealed unsettling details about the crime and Thorburn's continued conduct.
The victim, whose identity remains protected, was subjected to a brutal rape while she was unconscious.
That night, she and Thorburn had been drinking alcohol, and she also smoked a cannabis joint during a night out in Cardiff.
As the drug and alcohol effects took hold, she became extremely intoxicated and eventually returned to her accommodation block.
Thorburn initially offered to help her to bed, but at that stage, she was passing in and out of consciousness.
It was during this vulnerable state that the assault occurred.
According to the court, the woman woke up in agonizing pain to find Thorburn forcing himself upon her.
Her clearest memory was being on her front with her face pressed into a pillow when she felt Thorburn's penis in her anus.
It took her several seconds to comprehend what was happening; she then woke to the pain of his actions, saw herself and Thorburn in a mirror, and desperately wanted to scream but could only whimper, telling him to stop.
The woman was confused throughout, believing at times that she was dreaming, and was unaware whether Thorburn was wearing a condom.
Later, she described feeling ‘defiled, dirty, vile, and disgusting’ about what had happened, likening herself to ‘a corpse’ during the assault.
The trauma left her feeling shattered and in a state of profound distress.
The next day, Thorburn offered only a vague apology, without addressing the specifics of his actions.
She confided in her sister but had initially decided to keep what happened a secret, even feeling she might take the details to her grave.
Legal proceedings uncovered that Thorburn had a prior history of convictions involving indecent images of children, for which he was first convicted in 2019.
These included accessing Category A, B, and C images, with further convictions in January 2020 for viewing indecent photographs of children and breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) by viewing images of children being raped.
Notably, police found that Thorburn had deleted his internet history, which contributed to his subsequent arrest.
In 2019, Thorburn was sentenced to prison in an unrelated case and was placed under a SHPO, which was meant to restrict his contact with potential victims.
However, after his release, he broke the order by attempting to contact the victim on Facebook Messenger in 2022.
In the message, he sought to ‘talk’ about the incident, claiming he wanted closure and believed discussing it might help him.
This unsolicited contact enraged the woman, who responded sharply, writing that she was too damaged to find any closure, calling Thorburn ‘a rapist,’ and condemning his selfishness for reaching out after everything.
Thorburn responded to her message by admitting to the rape but was blocked by her.
Despite this, he compiled the exchange into a document and circulated it to a sexual assault referral service and other agencies.
This act led to further investigation.
Thorburn, of Kingsway in Cardiff, was eventually arrested and pleaded guilty to the charge of rape and breaching the SHPO after police found evidence that he had deleted his internet history.
Further court records revealed that Thorburn had a troubling history of offenses related to indecent images of children.
His convictions included accessing multiple categories of such images, with one conviction in 2019 and an additional count in January 2020.
During the trial, the victim gave a powerful and emotional statement, describing how the assault has permanently affected her emotionally and socially.
She explained that Thorburn’s actions had taken control of her life for over three years and that she now felt she was no longer herself.
She expressed her pain, stating: ‘I feel Nathan has taken control of the situation for three years.
I feel now I want to be in control.
What has happened to me has a lifelong effect.
If Nathan is sent to prison for this he won't suffer for a lifetime like I have to.’ She also described how her trust in others was shattered, turning her into a ‘hardened’ person incapable of feeling genuine emotions, which she deeply regretted.
The victim described the emotional toll of the assault as ‘a punch to the gut,’ especially being told that Thorburn sought only to absolve himself of guilt.
Her suffering had inflicted lifelong scars, and she detailed how she now felt like a broken shell, no longer able to trust or feel joy as she once did.
In sentencing, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke emphasized Thorburn’s awareness of the distress he caused.
She described him as a ‘dangerous offender’ and acknowledged that his victim was ‘extremely confused’ during the attack but that his subsequent actions had caused ‘devastating’ and lasting effects on her life.
The judge sentenced Thorburn to an extended period of 13 years, consisting of nine years in custody and a four-year extended licence period.
He will serve two-thirds of his custodial term before being eligible for parole and will remain on licence afterward, subject to strict restrictions and a lifelong registration as a sex offender.
Furthermore, Thorburn was issued a restraining order preventing him from contacting or approaching the victim, or entering any premises where she resides, works, or studies.
The court’s ruling underscores the seriousness of his offences and the lifelong consequences it will impose on both him and his victim.
