A 38-year-old man from Yeovil has been sentenced to over four years in prison after being found guilty of raping a woman he met via a dating app.
Leon Walker denied the charges but was convicted by a jury in July 2023. At Taunton Crown Court on Friday, 11 September, he received a sentence of four years and three months imprisonment.
During the trial, it was revealed that Walker met the victim through a dating app earlier in 2023. He arranged to visit her home where, after consensual sexual activity, he went on to rape her.
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The victim reported the assault to the police, leading to an investigation by Avon and Somerset Police’s rape and serious sexual offences unit, known as Operation Bluestone. Walker was subsequently charged with three counts of rape.
Despite pleading not guilty and maintaining the sexual encounters were consensual, the jury found Walker guilty of one count of rape and acquitted him of the other two.
A personal statement from the victim, read aloud at the sentencing hearing, detailed the profound effects the assault had on her life. She explained how, before the incident, she was open and trusting but now struggles with scepticism and caution when meeting new people. For a time, she avoided dating altogether, and even upon returning to meeting others, she remained on higher alert than before.
PC Jake Whatley, the officer leading the investigation, praised the victim’s bravery and determination in reporting the offence and supporting the investigation. He stressed the importance of understanding that consent can be withdrawn at any time. “Being in a consensual relationship, or consenting to one sexual act, does not equate to consenting to all sexual acts,” he said. “Everyone has the right to say no, and that decision must be respected.”