NEWPORT MAN JAILED FOR KIDNAP AND RAPE
A Newport resident, 20-year-old Paul James Brand of Buttermere Way, St Julians, has been sentenced to nine years in prison after being found guilty of kidnapping and raping a woman on her way home from a night out.The conviction followed a seven-day trial at Newport Crown Court in August.
The court ordered that Brand serve a total of nine years—seven years for the rape charge and two additional years for kidnapping—with the sentences to run consecutively.
He was also subject to a sexual offences prevention order that mandates him to notify the public protection team about any vehicle he has access to, whether as a driver or passenger.
According to court proceedings, on October 14, 2007, Brand was traveling around the city centre with a friend when they came across a woman in her twenties walking along Chepstow Road.
Brand offered her a lift, started a conversation, and convinced her to go for a drive, eventually dropping her off.
During the ride, they stopped multiple times; although the woman kissed Brand, she rejected his sexual advances.
Ultimately, Brand drove her to a quiet lane in Llanwern, where he forcibly dragged her from the car and assaulted her sexually.
After the assault, he returned to his vehicle and laughed.
Judge David Morris called the case a "disturbing situation," emphasizing the lasting emotional harm the victim experienced and suggesting she might be affected permanently.
Brand received a sentence of seven years for the rape and two for the kidnapping, to be served one after the other.
An additional 15 months was added for the theft of her handbag, but this was to run concurrently.
The victim, speaking exclusively to the Argus, voiced her concern about raising awareness among young women to prevent others from experiencing similar encounters, highlighting the necessity of remaining cautious and alert in risky situations.
