CHELMSFORD MAN CONVICTED OF RAPE AFTER HOTEL ATTACK
A man who raped a woman inside a hotel room has been convicted following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.On July 30, Paul Ballard, 39, of Woodland Way, Theydon Bois, was found guilty of rape, attempted rape, assault, criminal damage, and threats to kill.The court heard how Ballard told his victim she was "dying tonight" in a hotel room in Hatfield Heath in the early hours of September 19 last year.After being raped and attacked, the victim fled the room and found a member of staff who called police.Ballard was arrested but claimed to have had consensual sex with his victim and denied he threatened her.But following a trial, a jury took just two hours to find Ballard guilty of all charges.Detective Constable Dan Lambert, who led the investigation, said: "Ballard has never taken responsibility for his actions – indeed he continued to deny them throughout the trial.It is telling that the jury arrived at a verdict within two hours.I hope this provides some comfort to his victim, who he subjected to a terrifying ordeal that night in September last year."Ballard will be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on September 6.
