Man coerced woman to have sex with men in woodland

Rodney Johnston threatened or punished the woman if she did not comply with his demands, police said

A man who coerced a woman into having sex with multiple men over three decades has been convicted after a trial.

Rodney Johnston threatened the woman if she did not comply with his demands, which included outings to secluded woodland, and he took photographs and filmed the abuse.

Norwich Crown Court heard how he tried to take the victim out of the country against her wishes.

The 67-year-old of Starston, near Harleston in Norfolk, is due to be sentenced on 9 December.

Senior investigating officer Duncan Woodhams said: "The victim suffered sexual abuse and exploitation for decades at the hands of Johnston.

"She has shown great bravery in supporting this prosecution and we hope she can now start to rebuild her life."

On Wednesday, Johnston was found guilty of multiple offences, including three counts of procuring a woman to have sexual intercourse by threats or intimidation.

There was also two counts of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and one count of intimidation of a witness.

The offences took place between 1994 and 2024.

However, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on a charge of rape and prosecutors have until 12 September to decide whether to pursue a retrial.

'Banter'

Throughout the eight-week trial, Johnston denied all charges and claimed the acts were consensual.

However, police said evidence proved the woman's account that she was not a willing participant and had been coerced and exploited.

He made connections through adult social networks and sent out bulk text messages to advertise times and places where men could have sex with the woman.

Norfolk Police said he claimed many of these messages were him living out "a fantasy" and dismissed them as "banter".

However, thousands of other messages and images, including messages the victim sent to a friend detailing the abuse, supported her account - detectives said.

In a statement, the victim said Johnston "took her out" up to five nights a week to hotels or known dogging spots despite insisting she did not want to go.

She said she was disgusted afterwards and was threatened or punished if Johnston felt she was being uncooperative.

Police said he caused further distress to his victim when he broke the conditions of his bail, following his arrest in July 2024.

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