A REDDITCH rapist’s jail sentence has been doubled to 20 years after the Court of Appeal ruled his original prison term was too lenient.
John Dennis subjected four women to a campaign of sexual violence over years, raping, assaulting and causing actual bodily harm to one of them.
In April this year, Dennis was jailed for ten years for five charges of rape and three counts of assault by actual bodily harm.
A jury at the time heard how the acts were committed against a backdrop of physical and emotional abuse, with each of his victims describing him as having highly a predatory behaviour, as well as bullying and manipulating them.
When arrested, he denied the offences and tried to discredit the victims during the trial as liars and fantasists.
But despite being found guilty and handed a prison sentence, the case was referred to the Court of Appeal by Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP. And today (Wednesday) his sentence was doubled.
Mr Buckland said: “I asked the Court of Appeal to look at this 10 year term under the unduly lenient sentence scheme because of the seriousness and magnitude of rapes committed over a sustained period of time.
“John Dennis’s highly predatory behaviour caused untold misery to his victims, who should be commended for finding the courage to come forward.
“I hope that the doubling of this sentence to 20 years offers some degree of comfort to them and reassures the public that offences of this kind will be treated with the utmost seriousness and the perpetrators will serve a long time in prison.”
