Man who raped teenage girl jailed for seven years

The judge said Sojka had shown no remorse for the attack

A man who violently raped a girl in North Lanarkshire has been jailed for seven years.

Jakub Sojka, 32, inflicted "incalculable" damage on the teenager, a judge at the High Court in Edinburgh told him.

The 15-year-old girl was detained against her will by Sojka at a house in Motherwell on 1 March 2021 and sexually assaulted while she was intoxicated with drugs.

During the attack, he demanded she consume a "powder" and made threats of violence against her family.

He had denied raping the girl during an earlier trial but was found guilty.

The court heard the attack happened less than a month after Sojka was freed on bail at Hamilton Sheriff Court for another offence.

Sojka, of Motherwell, also struck the teenager's head against a door, grabbed her by the hair and repeatedly seized her neck.

Judge Thomas Welsh KC told Sojka he was convicted of a "very serious offence" and that he "took advantage of a vulnerable teenage girl".

"Your defence of consent was rejected by the jury and you have shown no remorse in relation to this matter," he said.

"The damage that you did is incalculable.

"The victim impact statement, which I have read, shows how deep and lasting the effects of your conduct will be on the victim."

He said he noted that Sojka was assessed as a low risk of further sexual criminality but told him: "A custodial sentence, in my opinion, is inevitable."

Sojka had also faced charges of supplying drugs to the girl but these were withdrawn.

Defence solicitor advocate Rhonda Anderson said he continued to maintain his innocence on the rape offence.

She said that he had a good history of employment and strong family bonds but would inevitably be deported to his homeland of Poland following a prison sentence.

She said: "He is someone who previously lived a very pro-social life."

Sojka was told he would be placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely following his sentencing.