Man jailed for 'cruel' rape of woman 20 years ago

A man has been jailed for 12 years after a jury found him guilty of raping a woman in her own bed more than two decades ago.

David Watson-Williams, 43, of Stanfield Close in Lockleaze in Bristol, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Monday, with an extended license period of three years.

The victim, who is not being named for legal reasons, said she awoke to find the defendant having sex with her and pretended to be asleep for her own safety.

In a statement read out to the court, she told her attacker: "Your actions have altered the course of my life in ways I am still trying to understand and untangle".

The jury took only 45 minutes to unanimously find Watson-Williams guilty.

He will also remain on the sex offenders register for life.

In August 2021, the victim reported to police how she was raped by a man in her flat in the early 2000s.

Having been walked home by a friend at around 03:00 BST, she left her front door unlocked and went to bed fully clothed.

She fell asleep and a short while later, awoke to find a man in her bed, instantly recognising him through squinted eyes as Watson-Williams.

"What should have been a bright chapter in my life was shattered by a man who knew, without a doubt, that I had no romantic or sexual interest in him," she told the court.

"Yet he hatched, in cruel premeditation, a plan to take what he wanted, with no regard for the destruction he would leave in his wake.

"The terror you inflicted forced me to leave my home, the place where I should have felt most secure. I had to take refuge from you."

PC Chris Quick from Avon and Somerset Police was able to quickly identify the suspect - who has a previous conviction for rape in 2003 - based on a physical description provided by the victim.

"This is a very traumatic event which she has lived with for nearly 20 years before deciding to report it to the police," he said.

"She was attacked in her own home, where she should be safe, and has been extremely courageous to come forward about the attack which left her feeling vulnerable and living in fear for years.

"Any acts of violence will never be tolerated, and every victim deserves to be heard and supported, no matter how long ago the attack took place."

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