Court Cowardly rapist who punched out sex worker's tooth finally jailed

A MAN who attacked and raped a woman in Bristol more than 23 years ago has been jailed for more than 10 years.

- Court REPORTER

Inderjit Singh Bains, 46, of Heneage Lane, Falfield, was sentenced to 10 and a half years in jail on Friday.

Bains attacked the woman, who was a sex worker at the time, after picking her up in his van in 2002.

The victim, now in her fifties, reported the incident to the police in January 2022 and had crucially memorised the offender's number plate, which helped lead to his identification and arrest.

A jury unanimously found Bains guilty of rape and actual bodily harm following a trial at Bristol Crown Court in March.

At the sentencing hearing held in Bains's absence, Judge James Patrick said the offence involved “a degree of abduction” and the attack was “prolonged and persistent”, which had a “long-standing emotional effect” on the victim.

Bains picked up the victim, who was in the street sex trade, in his white panel van in the St Werburghs area of the city at around 1am on January 10, 2002.

The van had been circling the area and eventually stopped outside a pub, where Bains beckoned to the victim.

After agreeing a fee, Bains drove towards Eastgate, where the victim had asked to go.

But he did not turn off and headed up the M32 towards Frenchay, where he stopped in a secluded area off Stoke Lane.