Man Imprisoned for Sexual Assaults and Rapes of Sleeping Women

Connor Yaxley has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for the rape of two women and the sexual assault of a third. Norfolk Police stated that Yaxley specifically targeted these women while they were sleeping. The 30-year-old, residing at Sandown Road, Great Yarmouth, was found guilty of five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault following a trial at Norwich Crown Court, with his sentencing occurring on Friday. One of his victims characterized him as the “bogeyman.” Police reported that in one instance, a woman awoke to find the defendant raping her, an act Yaxley claimed he had no memory of, suggesting he must have been dreaming. Detectives further indicated that another woman was raped at his address after she declined to have sex with him, and she also alleged he had raped her while she slept on previous occasions. The force added that he sexually assaulted the third woman as she slept in an armchair at his home. These offences took place between 2017 and 2020. During a victim impact statement read aloud in court, one woman conveyed: “It feels like there’s a bogeyman constantly on my shoulder, like a phantom fear which is difficult to explain.” She continued, “I still can’t sleep all of the way through the night.” In addition to his prison term, Yaxley received an extra eight years on extended licence. He will be placed on the Sex Offenders Register and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for life. Following the sentencing, Det Con Dylan Thomas, the investigating officer, encouraged other victims of sexual offences to report them to the police. The force advised that the Harbour Centre, the county’s sexual assault referral centre, can be contacted free of charge at 01603 276381.