May 2023

Derby man jailed for raping two women who offered him help

A Derby man was recently sentenced to two decades in jail after he raped two women who had offered him their help.

Nathan Cole, of no fixed address, denied the offences but was convicted following a trial at Derby Crown Court in April.

The first offence took place in January 2022. The 32-year-old had been staying in a hostel at the time, but appeared to be having problems there, and so he had been invited to stay on the sofa at his victim’s home for the night.

A few minutes after the woman had gone to bed he went into her room and raped her, ignoring her screams and her pleas for him to stop.

In March 2022 he visited hospital due to a head injury, and while there he got talking to a woman outside. He told her how he was homeless and would be sleeping on the streets for the foreseeable future.

Concerned for his welfare, the woman invited him back to her home to stay for a night. The following day he asked if he could stay a few more nights while he sorted himself out.

While he was there, he violently raped her twice, causing her to suffer injuries.

The next day she went to a friend’s house, and with her support they reported what had happened to the police.

Both women described the impact of his actions on their lives in statements which were read out in court.

One said how she will spend extra time scrubbing herself in the shower as she feels dirty, how she had attempted to end her life and that she felt things would never be the same again.

The experience affected the other woman in similar ways, detailing how she no longer trusts anyone, struggles to sleep and eat, suffers with anxiety and uses alcohol to try and take away memories of what happened.

At the hearing on Saturday 20 April Cole was sentenced to 15 years custody plus a five-year extended sentence.

He was also handed a restraining order not to contact the first victim until further order and placed on the sex offender register for life.