Leeds rapist 'completely destroyed' woman's life after meeting her in Morley pub

The victim "froze" when Benjamin Sollitt began sexually assaulting her, Leeds Crown Court heard.

He was jailed for almost four years at Leeds Crown Court this week. The victim was in court for his sentencing hearing, and her impact statement was read out by prosecutor David McGonigal.

He said: "She feels like her life has been completely destroyed by him. She has difficulty sleeping and what he did to her is with her all of the time. She feels she has lost faith and hope.

"She wants the defendant to know what he has done and what the effect has been."

The court heard that she had been out with a friend on the night of July 29, 2022, drinking in the Queen's Hotel, on Queen Street, Morley, when they met 20-year-old Sollitt.

They got talking and chatted most of the night before they all went to a nightclub and then back to the victim's friend's home where the continued drinking.

They all slept in the friend's bed, but when she got up to go to work the next morning, Sollitt then began touching the victim before having sex with her.

She had become aware of what he was doing but admitted to being too frightened to stop him. When he stopped, she got up and challenged him, but he denied wrongdoing.

After he left, she rang a friend before contacting the police and gave a statement, before having a medical examination.

Sollitt, of Links Way, Drighlington, was arrested but gave a no-comment interview. He initially denied charges of assault by penetration and rape and the case was listed for trial. He later changed his pleas to guilty. He appeared in court this week via video link from HMP Doncaster, where he was being held on remand.

Mitigating, John Batchelor said: "He understands that while both lives have been devastated, she is the victim in this case. In his words, it should never have happened and an apology is never enough, but says he would honestly go back a million times and change everything.

"He will pay the penalty, and he should. He plans to improve himself in prison and get qualifications so he can be a better person."

Judge Andrew Stubbs KC jailed him for 47 months, put him on the sex offender register for life, and gave him a lifelong restraining order.

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He said: "You forced yourself on her. You were bigger, stronger and alone in bed with her, placing her in a vulnerable position. You took advantage of her.

"She was petrified about what was happening. Victims of these offences can feel powerless to stop it happening and can't do anything other than freeze to survive, and that's exactly what she did. The memories of what you did to her simply won't go away."