A Holme Valley rapist has failed to convince top judges he deserves a sentence cut because he is now a changed man.
Jonathan Richard Abdy, 43, of Swan Bank Lane, Holmfirth, was in his 20s when he pinned down his struggling victim and raped her.
He was locked up for four and a half years at Leeds Crown Court on December 5 last year after being convicted of the attack.
His lawyers argued his life “had moved on considerably” since his crime and there had been a “real change in his character.”
References spoke glowingly of his charitable work and his good behaviour during personal crises he has faced in the intervening years.
London’s Appeal Court heard Abdy was convicted of battery in 2016 – after grabbing a woman by the throat and pushing her against a car.
And Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said his sentence ‘properly reflected’ Abdy’s personal mitigation.
The judge, sitting with Lord Justice Hickinbottom and Judge Mark Brown, concluded: “We are not persuaded that the sentence is manifestly excessive.
“This appeal must be dismissed.”
