Summary
A woman who was raped by a boy on their first night at college says she is “disappointed” by his sentence but hopes speaking out will help other survivors of sexual assault. Thomas Woodall was 16 years old when he raped and sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl on their first night on campus at Hartpury College a few years ago.
Details
The young woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, says she wants people to know that “it’s ok to come forward and be heard, no matter what the outcome is”. Woodall was sentenced last month but was not given an immediate jail term, which the CPS sought to appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
However, Gloucestershire Police says this request was rejected earlier this week, meaning the sentence will not be reviewed in the Court of Appeal. The survivor said: “The outcome in court wasn’t what I expected and I’m disappointed by the sentence, but the main thing is I want people to know that this behaviour shouldn’t be normalised.
“I want both females and males in college to know that it’s ok to come forward and be heard; no matter what the outcome is, you can come forward and seek support. “That is what I always wanted people to say to me.
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No matter what anyone else may say, you know when someone does something to you what the truth is, you know if they are guilty or not and you are the one who can change your life for the better.” She told a friend about the attack after it happened, which the friend then escalated to a parent. The college was informed and police were notified.
After an investigation by the Constabulary’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised charges. A trial took place at Cirencester Courthouse in August this year, where Woodall was convicted of one count of vaginal rape and one count of sexual assault by digital penetration. He was acquitted of one count of oral rape.
A statement from the victim was read to the court at the hearing. She said: “When I was 17 years old, I became a victim of rape. I want to share how what happened to me has affected not only my time at college but also my life now.
“I decided to enrol at Hartpury College to have a fresh start in a place surrounded by people who loved agriculture and animals just like me. I wanted to make new friends, meet new people, and experience the things that people my age had been enjoying, as I had missed out on that whilst working.
