Former Wisbech mayor Aigars Balsevics jailed for rapes

Aigars Balsevics denied charges of rape but was found guilty by a jury

A former town mayor has been jailed for six-and-a-half years for raping a woman twice at her home.

Aigars Balsevics, 42, was found guilty after a trial at Peterborough Crown Court which followed the attacks in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, in May 2021.

The woman cried and repeatedly told Balsevics "no", but he ignored her, police said. When she tried to leave the room, they said he raped her again.

He denied two charges of rape but was found guilty by a jury on 31 July.

Aigars Balsevics was a former mayor of Wisbech in Cambridgeshire

Police said the woman managed to contact two friends who came to her home, at which point Balsevics left.

She reported the rapes to police and Balsevics, of Burcroft Road, Wisbech, was arrested.

Balsevics was previously found to have breached Covid regulations at his pub during Christmas 2020 by a council licensing committee.