'Predatory Pedophile' Who Raped Teen, Sexually Assaulted Another Gets 15-Year Sentence

A 34-year-old man in the U.K. who raped a teenager and sexually assaulted another in two separate attacks 15 years apart has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison.

Wayne Thompson, of Gateshead, England, was convicted of one count of rape and one count of sexual assault at Newcastle Crown Court in April, according to a release from Northumbria police.

Judge Penny Moreland sentenced Thompson to 15 years in jail, with an extended license period of five years, for the offenses. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life, U.K. newspaper Evening Chronicle reported.

“On two occasions, 15 years apart, you got into bed with sleeping girls and committed penetrative sexual offenses,” the judge said.

The man, who police called a "predatory pedophile," preyed on one of his victims while she was sleeping in her room in December 2019.

During the trial, the court heard that the teen girl woke up to find Thompson on top of her. The next day, the victim told someone what had happened to her, leading to Thompson being arrested and charged with rape.

While awaiting trial for that rape case, a second victim came forward to accuse Thompson of sexually assaulting her 16 years earlier, police said. She said the man attacked her in her room as she slept.

The second victim woke up to find that Thompson had pulled down her pants and underwear and that “whatever he was doing was hurting her,” a court heard.

Thompson had denied both allegations, but a jury at Newcastle Crown Court found him guilty of the offenses.

“I was a child when Wayne abused me,” the first victim said in a statement read in court. “It didn’t take long before I went off the rails and started to abuse alcohol.”

The statement continued, “I was a child and he took my innocence when I was asleep. I feel devastated that it has happened not just to me, but to someone else. I constantly think about what happened and how Wayne has stolen my youth.”

In her statement, the second victim said Thompson had “ruined my life and any future I was building,” adding that “sometimes feel like I don’t want to be here anymore. Day to day life is a real struggle for me.”

Liam O’Brien, who represented Thompson, said he “continues to maintain he didn’t commit these offenses.”

Aside from his sentences for the rape and sexual assault, Thompson was also given an additional 8-month sentence for dangerous driving. He earlier led police on a chase through the town of Gateshead while on bail for rape.