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'Bus Fare' Rapist Jailed For Six Years

Wed, 12 September 2012 1:04PM

A man who raped a young woman who had been thrown off her last bus home because she was 20p short of the fare has been jailed for six-and-a-half years.

Joseph Moran, aged 19, was branded a "pathological liar" by the judge who sentenced him at Nottingham Crown Court.

Judge James Sampson told Moran: "You claimed to have come across her and claimed to have come to her aid. It's a line you maintained throughout your trial.

"It's obvious that you're a pathological liar and a man without an ounce of remorse or shame."

The judge sent him to a young offenders institute and ordered him to serve an indeterminate sentence with a minimum term of six-and-half years.

The 23-year-old victim had been out with friends in Nottingham on December 9 last year when a driver refused to let her board the last bus to Mansfield because she was 20p short of the £5 fare.

She began walking along Mansfield Road out of the city, where she had arranged to be collected by her mother, when she was attacked.

Moran, 19, from Sneinton, subjected the woman to an attack lasting 25 minutes during which she suffered 26 injuries across her face and body when he grabbed her by the neck and dragged her into undergrowth in the Forest Recreation Ground.

Judge Sampson told him the victim was "intelligent, hard-working, brave, full of the optimism of youth and who, but for want of a small act of kindness, was left isolated and vulnerable in the small hours of the city".

The court heard that Moran had pounced on the woman in an attack that was fuelled by drink and drugs. Shortly before, he had stolen a car and had a fight with a friend.

He was disturbed in the midst of the attack by the blue flashing lights of a police car after officers pulled over the victim's mother because she was driving slowly searching for her daughter.

It was then that Moran emerged from bushes and told them he had found the young woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

She was discovered just after 4am, unconscious, and having suffered terrible injuries.

Moran was arrested within minutes.

Prosecutor Michael Auty told the court the victim's face had been left permanently scarred by the attack and she was now fearful of walking anywhere alone.

"Every time she eats, every time it's cold, every time she does something simple like tries to apply lipstick, she's reminded of that day," said Mr Auty.

In a statement released through Nottinghamshire Police, the woman thanked those involved in bringing her attacker to justice and her family for their "unwavering support".

She said: "The police have not only worked extremely hard on this case, they have also offered a great deal of pastoral support and shown incredible sensitivity towards me, something that often goes unrecognised. For that I will always be grateful."

Detective Chief Inspector Rob Griffin, who was in charge of the investigation, welcomed the sentence.

He said of Moran: "He is a vile predator, who took advantage of his victim's isolation and vulnerability, and in a single moment changed her life forever."

Of the victim he said: "We have been humbled by her bravery and resilience and wish her only the very best from here on in."

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