A 67 year old man has been sentenced to a minimum term of 16 years in prison for forcing a woman to have sex with more than hundred strangers for over 30 years.
The assailant from Starston in Norfolk, Rodney Johnston, threatened the woman if she failed to meet his demands to engage in a range of sex acts with men in isolated countryside areas, as well as in cars and hotels, the court heard.
He was found guilty following a trial in September, during which the court was told he documented the abuse through photographs and video recordings.
Additional evidence discovered by the police includes about 30,000 images and videos documenting the abuse.
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Sentencing Johnston to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 16 years at Norwich Crown Court, Judge Alice Robinson said the victim’s testimony revealed the long-term psychological and emotional harm caused by the abuse.
The court was told that the offender used a combination of physical intimidation and verbal threats to exert control.
Evidence presented showed that the victim was forced to leave home several times a week under coercion.
According to the judge, she said: “Going out became a byword for her being raped by strangers. This is rape in all but name”.
In a statement issued by the police following the sentencing, the victim said the abuse left her feeling “used” and “terrified”.
She stated that she felt she had no control over her situation. “I had no voice, no choice”, she said and added that the conviction marked her first sense of freedom in decades.
“I feel anxious about the future, but for the first time in decades I am free.”
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