A 62-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of multiple counts of rape and attempted rape against his wife. The defendant, whose identity remains anonymous to protect his ex-wife, claimed he was sleepwalking during the assaults, potentially due to a condition known as sexsomnia that causes individuals to engage in sexual activities while asleep.
Despite the defendant’s sleepwalking defense, the jury at Truro Crown Court dismissed this explanation. The victim testified that she endured monthly instances of rape and sexual abuse over a span of about 10 years, feeling scared and disgusted by the repeated assaults. She detailed how the defendant would asphyxiate her while sexually abusing her, expressing that it seemed to excite him.
The prosecution revealed that the defendant apologized after each incident, promising it wouldn’t happen again, yet continued to assault his wife from 2006 to 2017. The victim disclosed that she endured the abuse for years out of fear that she would lose custody of their children if she left the marriage.
During the trial, the defendant claimed to have no recollection of the assaults, stating that he did not consciously remember committing the acts. He insisted that sex was not a significant aspect of their relationship and denied any violent or unnatural sexual behavior. Despite seeking help for sleepwalking from his GP, he did not address his wife’s accusations of abuse.
The jury ultimately convicted the defendant of five rapes, three attempted rapes, and one count of sexual abuse, leading to a 20-year prison sentence and lifetime registration on the Sex Offenders’ register. An expert in sleep disorders testified that violent behavior associated with sexsomnia is rare.