A man who raped a women he befriended on a night out in the city centre has been found guilty after a trial at Leicester Crown Court.
Nathaniel Gray had been at a nightclub in Leicester city centre on the evening of 19 August, 2019, when he started a conversation with the victim and bought her a drink.
Around 3am Gray left the premises with the victim and another woman. The woman decided to get a taxi home and Gray offered to walk the victim home.
As they were walking along New Walk Gray forced himself on the victim and raped her. She managed to get away and alert a member of staff at a hotel nearby. Gray left the scene before the emergency services arrived.
Following a media appeal 29-year-old Gray of Victoria Road East, Leicester, was identified as the suspect, he was arrested and subsequently charged.
Today (Friday 5 March) following a five-day trial he was found guilty of rape.
He was sentenced to five years and six months in prison. He was also ordered to be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Detective Constable Richard Wilson was the investigating officer, he said: “Fortunately the woman who was with the victim and Gray took a photo of him during the evening. Following a social media appeal we were able to locate her and obtain the image. That led officers to quickly identify Gray and arrest him.
"The last 18 months have not been easy for the victim, she has shown immense bravery throughout the investigation and subsequent legal proceedings. We hope today’s verdict helps her come to terms with what happened and move on with her life.
“We take reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and have a dedicated team of officers who specialise in investigating such offences. We would always encourage anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence to contact the police immediately.
Victims will be guided through the process by specialist officers and referred to other agencies who can support them in the immediate and long-term.”
Leicestershire Police 05/03/21