Darren Martyn Shaw, 35, from Bournemouth, was sentenced on 22 March 2021 after admitting an offence of assault by penetration at an earlier hearing.

The incident took place in January 2019. The victim, who was then 18, went out with friends in Bournemouth on 1 January 2019. The group of friends met up with the victim’s boyfriend and the defendant, who was known to her boyfriend but the victim had not previously met.

They all went back to the victim’s address. She went to sleep and woke at around 7am to find the defendant sexually assaulting her. She woke her boyfriend and told him what had happened. Police were called and officers attended the address, where Shaw was arrested.

Detective Constable Michael White, of Bournemouth CID, said, “Darren Shaw subjected his victim to a sexual assault while she was asleep and could in no way consent.

“This was a horrifying ordeal for the victim to go through and I would like to praise her for the courage she has shown in coming forward and supporting the police investigation so that we could ensure Shaw faced justice for his actions.

“I hope this case demonstrates that we will take reports of this nature very seriously and will do all we can to support victims and ensure offenders are identified and held responsible.”

If you have been a victim of rape or sexual assault, and you want to report directly to the police please call 101 and ask to be put in contact with a specially-trained police officer. Always dial 999 in an emergency. Alternatively, you can contact The Shores Sexual Assault Referral Centre on 0800 970 9954.