STEVEN MCKENNA SENTENCED IN BRIDLINGTON FOR RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT
Steven McKenna, now released, targeted a woman in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, following an incident early last summer.The court heard that McKenna followed his victim after they met at the Apollo nightclub and attacked her in an isolated harbor area.
The woman was seen on CCTV struggling to stand and appearing semi-conscious at times.
McKenna, 32, of no fixed address, raped and sexually assaulted her, then later spat at her twice when she called the police.
He also licked her legs as she attempted to make an emergency call, adding to her humiliation.
When police officers arrived, McKenna had already left the scene, but they observed the woman crying and noted she had frothy spit in her hair.
McKenna denied any wrongdoing, claiming that the sexual activity was consensual.
He showed no emotion when a Hull Crown Court jury found him guilty of rape and sexual assault, but acquitted him of two other sexual offences.
The attack took place on the harbor side, and McKenna’s pursuit of the woman was prompted by their meeting at the nightclub.
The woman’s blood alcohol level was found to be two and a half times the legal driving limit.
During sentencing, Recorder Abdul Iqbal QC described McKenna’s actions as 'shameless and cruel offences against a vulnerable victim, on her own in an isolated location for your sexual gratification.' The judge emphasized the psychological trauma inflicted on the victim, whom he said had suffered 'substantial' distress.
The additional acts of spitting and verbal abuse afterward were considered 'additional degradation.' Prosecutor Charlotte Baines presented a victim statement, in which the woman shared her ongoing struggles: 'Every day I wake up and I’m nervous about going out of the house.
I don’t go out as much at all now.
I always double-check the doors are locked.' She explained that she couldn't sleep in her own bed for three weeks following the attack, had lost her job due to her health, and chose not to disclose the incident to her employer.
Her family and partner had also been impacted.
The woman expressed fear about answering the door and stated, 'I feel this assault has changed me as a person.' It was revealed that McKenna had a criminal record with 60 previous offences, including an indecent assault on a girl under 14 when he was a youth.
He was sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.
