A man who raped a woman before admitting his crime in a message to a friend has been jailed

A man who raped a woman before admitting his crime in a message to a friend has been jailed.

Theodore Weatherill raped the woman after she fell asleep when they were drinking together at his home in Ashford. He was charged following a Kent Police investigation and admitted the offence at Canterbury Crown Court on 12 May 2020.

The 23-year-old was brought back before the same court on Thursday 2 July and was jailed for seven years.

The offence took place in December 2019, after the woman had been drinking with Weatherill at his home. She remembered sleeping and woke to find Weatherill laying on top of her. She later asked Weatherill whether they had sex but he denied it.

However, Weatherill later sent a message to a friend saying he had raped a woman.

Weatherill, formerly of Tennyson Road, Ashford, was arrested on Tuesday 31 December 2019. He gave no comment in interview but changed his plea to guilty at court.

PC Alan Atherton-Jackman, Kent Police’s investigating officer, said: ‘I would like to praise the bravery of this woman in assisting our investigation and the prosecution.  As the judge said in his sentencing remarks, she is not a victim of this crime, but a survivor.

‘I urge anyone who believes they have been the victim of a sexual offence to report it to Kent Police, who will thoroughly investigate. You will receive the support you need and we will find an outcome which is right for you.’