Jail for rapist who laughed during student attack

A rapist has been jailed after he attacked a woman in her bedroom after she tried to fight him off.

Cory Thompson, of Abbeydale Road, Sheffield, raped her in her Derby home in March 2022, and laughed when she tried to stop him.

The attack happened months after Thompson sexually assaulted another victim when he drove her to a lake by Godfrey Drive in Kirk Hallam, Derbyshire, in July 2021.

The 29-year-old was sentenced to nine years and three months in prison at Derby Crown Court on Thursday.

A jury convicted Thompson on a count of rape and another of sexual assault following a trial in October.

The jury was unable to reach verdicts on two counts of sexual activity with a child, and those charges were left to lie on file.

Thompson was found not guilty on charges of sexual assault and putting a person in fear of violence by harassment.

The court heard the woman who was raped tried to fight back, but Thompson laughed and hit her.

He was under the influence of alcohol before he targeted both women.

Sarah Knight, prosecuting, said the woman who was raped was "isolated and lonely" at the time of the attack, which happened during the Covid pandemic.

A statement read out on her behalf by Miss Knight said: "This whole case has stolen years of my life. I feel like I am just in survival mode."

Sentencing Thompson, Judge James Carter said: "[Your offending] has had a large impact on [the rape victim's] confidence. She is now hyper vigilant and feels haunted about what you did to her."

The second attack saw Thompson kiss the victim on her on the lips against her wishes, before forcefully pushing her against his car door.

David Young, defending, said while it was not an excuse for his offending, Thompson had encountered anxiety after the death of his father.

In addition to the jail sentence, a restraining order was put in place in respect of each complainant involved in the case.

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