TOM WADE-ALLISON SENTENCED IN EXETER FOR CAMPAIGN OF RAPE AND SEXUAL OFFENCES IN SOMERSET
A dangerous sexual predator has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term after being convicted of raping five women in a campaign carried out over nearly two years.The offender, hotel chef Tom Wade-Allison, 25, was found guilty at Exeter Crown Court last month of 14 separate offences against five young women aged between 17 and 20.
The victims reported feeling as if they had lost control of their bodies during the assaults, recalling moments of drifting in and out of consciousness.
Some woke to the horrifying sight of Wade-Allison having sex with them, unable to resist or fight him off.
One victim described feeling as if she was "trapped in my own body," and others recounted being in a dazed state where they repeatedly told him to stop, but he ignored their pleas.
In court, Wade-Allison was characterized as a man who lacked awareness of the gravity of his actions and was considered an ongoing danger to women.
Judge Timothy Rose told Wade-Allison: "It was a campaign of rape and other offences enacted over a 20-month period against victims in similar circumstances.
These were circumstances you either developed yourself or manipulated to secure the outcome you desired or at least repeatedly exploited." Wade-Allison, of Martock, received a sentence of 24 years in prison.
The assaults came to light after one victim reported to police that he had raped her while she was unable to consent, due to her drink being spiked with an unknown substance.
Her vague recollection prompted other victims to come forward with similar accounts.
Due to this, authorities discovered that Wade-Allison had drugged some of his victims to facilitate the assaults.
Judge Rose noted the difficulty in determining exactly how many women had been drugged but was certain that at least two had been forcibly intoxicated, with a third almost certainly drugged.
He stated: "You plied their drinks with a substance, whatever it may have been, with the intent to impair their self-control and enable your sexual acts against their will and knowledge." Although most of the crimes occurred in Somerset, some took place in Honiton.
Each victim submitted personal impact statements, describing the deep and lasting trauma caused.
One described Wade-Allison as "an absolute parasite in my life," adding: "My life will never be the same because of him.
It feels permanently dark and troubled.
Coming to court forced me to revisit memories I had tried to bury." Judge Rose emphasized that Wade-Allison seemed to believe he would avoid justice: "You were not deterred at any stage; you were emboldened by the apparent belief that you could get away with it." He criticized Wade-Allison’s understanding of his actions, stating: "You lack insight into the seriousness of your crimes and have expressed no remorse.
You are still a danger to women, with a clear misogynistic element to your offending, and show no regard for the trauma inflicted." Wade-Allison denied nine charges of rape, four sexual assaults, and one attempted rape.
Mitigation lawyer Mr.
Nigel Wraith stated that Wade-Allison, who was 20 and 21 at the time of the offences and has no prior convictions, still maintained his innocence.
"He will no doubt find the lengthy sentence very difficult," Wraith noted.
The court ordered Wade-Allison to serve two-thirds of his 24-year sentence in prison, with the remaining eight years on license, subject to recall if conditions are breached.
At the sentencing conclusion, Judge Rose praised the bravery of the victims for coming forward.
He said: "I want to commend all the victims who reported these offences; reporting takes tremendous courage, especially given the nature of the crimes.
Their actions enabled this conviction and sentencing.
It is well known that many victims do not report these crimes for various reasons, and I am grateful for their bravery.
I also commend the police officers involved in the case."
