A mum has shared her story of being raped at her own birthday party by a friend’s "polite grandson". Catherine Gwynne was attacked by Arron Murphy shortly after hosting a meal to celebrate her 39th birthday. The attack took place after she had said goodnight to guests, but when getting ready for bed she heard someone in the kitchen.
He pounced on her when she came through in her dressing gown, dragging her into the bedroom to rape her. The traumatic assault took place while her young daughter McKenzie, who is now ten, was sleeping just metres away. But she has now made the decision waiver her right to anonymity to encourage other victims of sexual offences to come forward.
“I started to say hello but he launched himself on me. It was scary.
“As he dragged me from the kitchen I was petrified – I didn’t recognise him.”
After raping Ms Gwynne, Murphy ran off.
Mrs Gwynne called her boyfriend Shaun Phillips, now 39, and he contacted police. Murphy was arrested the same evening on suspicion of rape but was released on bail.
He was free to walk just metres from Ms Gwynne’s home and attended the same pub as Mr Phillips.
He was tried at Cardiff Crown Court in September 2014 but the jury could not reach a verdict on a count of rape so it was sent for retrial. Afterwards Ms Gwynne heard that Murphy had claimed he’d “won”.
“When I heard this I was absolutely disgusted,” she said. “But it just made me more determined to achieve justice. “I knew what had happened and my family and the police believed me.”
On March 10 this year Murphy appeared for a second time at the same court where he again denied a count of rape. The court was told on the night of 1 December 2013 he had drunk heavily before returning to Mrs Gwynne’s home in Ebbw Vale, South Wales.
Robin Shellard, defending, claimed Murphy had not returned to Ms Gwynne’s house with the thought of having sex but might have changed his mind when she came in wearing a dressing gown. He described him as not having much confidence.
Murphy, 23, of Ebbw Vale, South Wales, who claimed the sex was consensual, was convicted of rape.
He was jailed for seven years and also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life.
Miss Gwynne is appealing for other victims of sex attacks to go to the police, advising: “You can get justice.” She said: “The whole process has been so stressful, but when the judge said he was guilty I knew my fight had been worth it.
“When he was first arrested he was released on bail. I’d see him everywhere, and my partner Shaun would see him at the pub. It was horrendous.
“Then he originally appeared at Cardiff Crown Court in September 2014 after nine months of living in hell.
“I thought after the court case it would all be over, but it ended in a hung jury – meaning the jury couldn’t reach a unanimous decision.
“It was then I felt like giving up. But when I heard that Arron had boasted that he’d won, I knew I couldn’t let that monster get away with it.
“So I gave evidence via video link four months later, and finally a jury saw through his lies. I could breathe again.”
Source: metro.co.uk
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