Man jailed for 'horrific' rape of unconscious woman

Moore deliberately targeted a vulnerable woman in late 2017, police said

A man has been jailed for nine years for raping a woman who had passed out after a night at the pub.

Steven Moore, now 67, attacked the "intoxicated" woman in late 2017 after they left the Rising Sun in Mill Street, East Malling.

He took her to a nearby residential property where he subjected her to "a truly horrific ordeal", Kent Police said.

Moore, of Stickens Lane, denied the charge but was found guilty after a trial and sentenced to nine years in prison at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday.

Kent Police said the attack happened during an evening between November and December 2017. It was reported to police in March 2023.

An investigation established that prior to the rape, the woman had chatted with Moore who was known to an acquaintance of hers.

She recalled that after accompanying him to a different property, she blacked out and woke up to find him raping her.

Following the sentencing, Det Sgt Mike Williams of Kent Police, said Moore had "deliberately targeted a vulnerable woman, exploiting her trust and intoxicated state".

He said Moore's actions were "clearly calculated" and the impact on the victim had been "profound" but praised her "tremendous courage" in coming forward.

He added: "We know how difficult it can be for victims of sexual abuse to report such abhorrent and damaging offences, especially when so much time has passed.

"I hope this case demonstrates that no matter when offences have happened you will always be listened to, believed and supported."