'Abhorrent' Debyshire man jailed for raping young woman in his van

Sudesh Kumar, denied the offence which took place back in August 2018 but was found guilty and sentenced during a hearing last week.

He had been with the victim, a woman in her 20s, and friends who were drinking at a pub in Peartree, Derby during the evening.

The group then continued the gathering at a mutual friends’ house, and Kumar offered to give the woman a lift home at around 4am.

She accepted the lift and while on the way to her home the 41-year-old took advantage of her vulnerable state and raped her.

The following morning the victim woke up and felt concerned about what happened the night before.

Although she hadn’t been able to fully remember, she shared her worries with her mum who contacted the police.

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A medical examination was carried out as part of the officer’s investigations, and forensic evidence was also found from a tampon she had tried to discard.

Kumar, of Carsington Crescent in Allestree, denied the offence but was found guilty following trial. He was sentenced to eight years imprisonment and placed on the sexual offenders register for life.

Detective Constable Fiona Rai was the officer in charge of the investigation. She said: “Kumar took advantage of a young woman who was vulnerable. We can only hope that the sentence goes some way to ensuring he faces the consequences of his abhorrent actions.

“Throughout the investigation and the trial Kumar denied what he had done, forcing the victim to relive what had happened to her.

DC Rai added: “I would like to commend the victim for her immense courage in not only reporting the incident but also during the distressing and difficult time she will have faced following on from the attack. Although nothing can erase what has happened, I hope that the victim will be able to find some closure knowing that Kumar is locked up and has been brought to justice.

“We also hope that this will demonstrate that no matter what the circumstances are, we are committed to supporting survivors of rape and sexual assault and will do everything we can to identify offenders and put them before the courts.”

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