A Yeovil man has been jailed for four years and three months after being convicted of raping a woman he met through a dating app.
Leon Walker, 38, was sentenced at Taunton Crown Court on September 11. He had denied the offence but was found guilty by a jury in July.
Meeting arranged through dating app
The court heard that Walker met the woman through a dating app in 2023 and arranged to meet her at her home. The rape happened after earlier consensual sex, the court was told.
The woman reported what had happened to police. Walker was subsequently charged following an investigation by Operation Bluestone, the rape and serious sexual offences team.
He pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape and claimed that the sex had been consensual. The jury found him guilty of one count of rape and acquitted him of the other two counts.
Victim describes lasting impact
In a statement read at the sentencing hearing, the victim described how the incident affected her confidence and ability to trust people.
“Before this happened I was an open and trusting person, however this incident also left me not being able to trust people as I used to. “I had to rebuild my confidence in meeting new people and became far more sceptical and wary of people than I previously had been, “For a while after I avoided dating and meeting new people altogether. When I was eventually able to meet new people, I found myself to be on higher alert and more cautious than I previously needed to be.”
She said she had avoided dating and meeting new people for a period after the incident, and later found herself more cautious and alert when meeting people.
Police reminder about consent
PC Jake Whatley, the investigating officer, said the conviction reflected the victim’s courage and determination in reporting the offence and supporting the investigation.
“This conviction reflects the courage and determination shown by the victim in reporting the offence and supporting the investigation throughout. “It also serves as an important reminder that consent can be withdrawn at any time. “Being in a consensual relationship, or consenting to one sexual act, does not mean a person has consented to every other sexual act. “Everyone has the right to say no, and that decision must be respected.”
Police said support is available to anyone who has experienced rape or sexual assault, whether or not they choose to report it. The organisations listed in the source will not require a victim to report an assault to police.
The source also states that a person can report an assault to police, and that officers can investigate even if the person has already received counselling.