A man has been jailed for 13 years after he subjected a woman to a horrifying rape attack in her own home.

Reece Whitehead from Milnsbridge had a grudge against the victim for something she allegedly said on social media about his partner and decided to teach her a lesson.

Sentencing him at Leeds Crown Court yesterday Judge Robin Mairs said Whitehead had watched outside the woman’s home for a time before breaking in and attacking her, knowing she was on her own in the early hours of March 19.

“Almost immediately after entering you embarked upon a prolonged and vicious serious of sexual assaults repeatedly beating and raping her,” he said.

“You first assaulted her and demanded she take her clothes off and through fear she did.”

Brutal rapist Reece Whitehead from Milnsbridge

Judge Mairs said Whitehead then raped her for the first time on the stairs.

“She begged and pleaded with you to stop,” the judge added.

He then banged her head against the stairwell continuing to verbally abuse her telling her she deserved to be raped and would “never speak to his partner again in the same terms.”

The judge added: “I am quite satisfied this was a planned offence in your mind to teach her a lesson.”

The judge said when his victim ran to the bathroom he followed and raped her again putting his hand over her mouth to stifle her screams before making her shower. He then raped her again and forced her to perform oral sex and when she vomited he made her clear it up.

The judge added: “You assaulted her with extraordinary viciousness, smashing her head on the toilet cistern with such force it caused a contusion to the brain. She was battered, blooded and bore marks of your assault while you continued to rape her.”

Having taken her downstairs Judge Mairs said Whitehead got the woman to have some Coca Cola before assaulting her again with such ferocity he left an imprint of his trainer on her arm.

He then told her to dress and said he would take her to a local viaduct or bridge and make her jump off it, causing her even more fear but it was as they were leaving the property she managed to escape from him and got to friends for help.

Judge Mairs told Whitehead: “You tortured, raped and battered her with extraordinary viciousness for up to an hour.”

Leeds Crown Court
Leeds Crown Court

He said it appeared he had taken pleasure in humiliating her and had not shown a shred of remorse or contrition for his actions. The psychological scars to his victim might never heal.

Whitehead, 20 of Scar Lane, Milnsbridge, admitted two offences of assault causing actual bodily harm on the woman and was found guilty by a jury on five charges of rape. He was ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

Richard Canning representing him had asked the judge to take into account his young age and to keep the sentence as low as possible.

Judge Mairs commended Det Con Anthony Squires for his diligent police work after he was told it was the officer’s persistence in getting forensic work done in spite of cost restrictions that had helped lead to conviction.

After the case Det Con Squires from the Kirklees Adult Safeguarding Unit said: “Whitehead committed a vicious and sustained sexual and physical assault on his victim and richly deserves the lengthy sentence he has received.”

“We hope seeing him convicted will at least bring some measure of closure for his victim who has shown considerable courage throughout the court process.

“We can promise victims of sexual assaults that all reports are thoroughly investigated.”