Man jailed for raping woman he met on night out in Darwen

A man has been jailed for raping a woman he met on a night out in Darwen.

On 13^th May 2023 Lewis Hartley met his victim.

During the night out, Hartley asked the victim if he should come to her, and she declined saying she just wanted to go to sleep. However, in the early hours of 14^th May he made his way into the victim’s house along with one of her friends.

When the victim’s friend went to leave, Hartley pretended to be asleep.

It was while the victim was alone that Hartley raped and sexually assaulted her.

Hartley then used her mobile phone to call a taxi.

Hartley, formerly of Minnie Terrace, Blackburn, but now of no fixed address, was arrested two days later. He was subsequently charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

Hartley was found guilty of all offences following a trial at Preston Crown Court in September of this year.

He returned to the same court earlier this week where he was jailed for five years. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

In an impact statement to the court, the victim said: “I never expected to be raped on that night in May 2023. I was enjoying a child free weekend with friends and was out with group of lads who I thought I could trust and feel safe with.

‘’I felt able to have a drink and a good time and wanted to be looked after, little did I know that the night would end so very badly and change my life forever.

“I was unsure about contacting the police at all in the first instance. I feared that I would not be believed and that the police would not take me seriously.

‘’ Perhaps they would think it was my own fault for being out with a gang of lads but I was distressed and after several hours of worry and upset I had to do the right thing and tell them what had happened. I was surprised by the response from the police, they listened, took me seriously and offered me support.

“I did not cope well with being in my own home after I was raped. It should have been a safe and happy place for me and my children and it was until that night.

‘’I delayed the children coming back and even took them on a last minute holiday to avoid having to be at the house with them. I moved to a new house in the end and that is not something I should have had to do because of the actions of one person but I felt that I had no choice.

‘’I threw the sofa out onto the front garden as I could not bear to have it in the house knowing what had happened on it.

“I did not see my children at all for a week after that night. I was not in any fit state to care for them and I did not want them in the house. I spent a week trying to get back to being the old me and convincing myself that I would be able to put a brave face on. It was not easy.

“I do not think that people realise how much I have struggled. That is partially my fault for not being able to open up but it has been nothing short of terrible. I have had countless sleepless nights and have worried endlessly about what I did wrong to deserve what had happened to me.

‘’I have spent hours going through the night in my head, asking myself if I gave him any indication at all that it was ok to behave in the way that he did. I have wondered what I could have done differently and then spent hours worrying that Hartley knew where I lived and people would come after me for going to the police and seeing it through to the trial at court.

“I was suddenly unable to do the normal things that a young person of my age would do. I immediately became cautious of everyone around me and avoided nights out for a long time. I worry about having too much to drink and question how safe I am, even with people that I have known and trusted for years. I do not know how to fix this and hope that in time I will find a way through it.”

DC Claire Scott, from the East Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) Investigation Team, said: “Hartley took advantage of a vulnerable woman for his own sexual gratification. His offending has had a profound impact on her daily life as she describes so honestly in her victim impact statement.

“I want to praise the victim in this case for her bravery, and for having trust in the police to put her offender before the courts.”

If you or somebody you know has been the victim of a crime, report it online via https://doitonline.lancashire.police.uk or call 101. In an emergency or if a crime is in progress always call 999.