Dolgellau man jailed for raping girl, 17, while on licence

Thomas Cato has been jailed for 11 years for the rape of a 17-year-old girl

A man who raped a 17-year-old girl while on licence from prison has been jailed for 11 years.

The court heard Thomas Cato, 34, of Smithfield Street, Dolgellau, Gwynedd, ignored her "repeated screams" to stop.

Caernarfon Crown Court heard that the victim had agreed to be tied up but then began "begging" Cato to stop during the attack in November 2022.

The judge told him he had treated the teen as his "sexual possession... despite her pleas and obvious trauma".

"You have an escalating pattern of violence including strangulation or suffocation as a means of injuring or controlling," Judge Timothy Petts added.

"I can't see any time when the risk you pose to women in particular is going to be reduced."

Prosecutor Nicholas Williams said Cato had numerous offences of dishonesty and violence on his record.

Anna Price, defending, said despite her client's "appalling record", he has had no convictions of a "sexual nature".

After the sentencing, Det Con Bethany Clarke from North Wales Police, said: "Cato is a dangerous individual with a history of violent behaviour.

"The length of his sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence and the impact it has had on not just the victim, but on the local community."

Following his 11-year jail term Cato will be on licence for a further six years and will be on the sex offenders' register for life.

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