Cardiff burglar who raped mum and teenage daughter jailed for life
- Published
Carney forced himself into the family home and raped the mother and daughter
A burglar who broke into a house and repeatedly raped a mother and her teenager daughter in an "horrific" attack has been handed a life sentence.
Joshua Carney, 28, made each watch the other in the attack in Cardiff on 1 March, actions which the judge said were "deliberately sadistic".
Earlier at Cardiff Crown Court, Carney admitted 13 offences including six counts of rape.
He will serve at least 10 years before he can become eligible for parole.
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During the hearing, Carney was described as a "career burglar" and had only been released from prison five days before the rapes happened.
Passing sentence, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said the "horrific" ordeal was "the stuff of nightmares" and that the attack had had a "life-changing" effect on the victims.
Carney, from Dros-y-Morfa, Rumney, Cardiff, forced himself in the family's home during the early morning as the mother was getting ready for work.
Prosecuting barrister, Ieuan Bennett, said that the woman heard strange noises outside her house and when she investigated, saw Carney in a "dishevelled condition: he had bare feet, they were covered in mud and she noticed he had blood coming from both ears."
In her interview she told police: "I knew as soon as I saw him there was danger".
Carney forced his way into the house, suggesting he wanted the woman's mobile phone but quickly became aggressive and locked the front door.
He then started to beat her around the head, threatened to stab her before subjecting her to a sexual assault and rape.
Carney was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday
The court heard woman's teenage daughter had locked herself in an upstairs bedroom and called the police but Carney went upstairs and tried to open the door.
The mother eventually told her daughter to open the door after Carney again threatened to stab them.
The teenager opened the door to find Carney completely naked. He then raped her repeatedly and said to her mother "watch me, look what I am doing to her".
The mother told police that she still remembers the sight of her daughter's white knuckles, as she held her hand throughout the ordeal.
Carney again raped the mother as the daughter watched, before subjecting the teenager to one final attack, saying "this is your punishment for phoning the police".
The police soon arrived at the house and when he was arrested Carney told officers he had been taking Spice and had no recollection of what happened.
He later pleaded guilty to all charges.
'Recurring nightmares'
Victim impact statements read in court showed the huge impact the attack has had, as the women had to undergo extensive testing and treatment against possible sexually transmitted infections.
Reading her own statement to the court, the mother said: "Up until the morning of the attack, I used to be a strong, independent woman. But that has been turned upside down."
She said she "hadn't had a full night's sleep since the attack" and suffered from "recurring nightmares".
"I don't think either of us will ever feel comfortable with my daughter being home alone again."
She said she had "excessive feelings of guilt towards my daughter" following the attack and "couldn't ever erase from my memory what he did to her".
The schoolgirl's statement was read by barrister Ieuan Bennet, who said she suffered from "flashbacks and hallucinations" following the ordeal.
She said she now slept with a hammer under her pillow to try and help her feel safer.
"I have lost all trust in people, I have lost all trust in males in particular.
"I would always give my dad a hug and a kiss - I don't feel I can do that any more, I feel disgusted."
Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said she believed Carney was dangerous and a risk to the public, imposing a life sentence.
She said Carney had been an offender since the age of 14 and the "serious nature" of his crimes had only increased.
Carney had his head in his hands for much of the hearing but showed no emotion as he was given his sentence.
One of the females bravely managed to call 999 during the incident and Carney was arrested as he was leaving the house.
'Dangerous individual'
After the case, Det Con Ian Booker from South Wales Police, said: "Stranger attacks such as these are extremely unusual in South Wales but, in Joshua Carney, we had an extremely dangerous individual.
"Everyone has the right to feel safe in their own home and our immediate response on March 1 meant Carney was arrested at the scene of this awful incident."
"This sickening incident is every woman's worst nightmare and understandably both females have suffered severe shock and emotional trauma.
"It must have been absolutely terrifying for them and they have been extremely brave throughout this ordeal."
Kelly Huggins of the Crown Prosecution Service added: "This was a shocking case in which Carney subjected his victims to a horrific ordeal.
"Despite the violent and truly degrading acts Carney committed, the victims showed tremendous courage and clear thinking allowing really strong evidence to be gathered, which enabled the CPS to present a robust case leading to guilty pleas.
"Nobody can undo what has been done but we hope that the conclusion of the Court case is some comfort to the victims as they rebuild their lives."
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