Man who raped two women jailed for 24 years

A Somerset man who raped, assaulted and coercively controlled two women has been jailed for 24 years.

William Chalkley, 40, of Court Barton, Crewkerne, was sentenced on Thursday at Taunton Crown Court, after being found unanimously guilty after a trial in March.

The offences, which started in 2015, involved two women and included rape, assault by penetration, sexual assault, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault causing actual bodily harm.

In a victim impact statement, one woman said Chalkley had "completely destroyed me as a person".

"One of the main reasons why I wanted to pursue this case was so he could not hurt another woman and to get justice for those of us who had been affected by his behaviour and his crimes," she said.

"I feel this has now been achieved."

She added Chalkley "took away a lot of my life", but said she was now ready to "move on" and "be the person I want and deserve to be".

The court heard how Chalkley had raped and sexually assaulted one woman before seeking out his next victim who he later assaulted and raped.

His second victim said the attack had left her "in complete disbelief" and "terrified" of him hurting her again.

"This has changed my life," she said.

"I need to rebuild my whole self and life again. I want to be back to the me before this happened."

In a joint statement, the two investigating officers Det Con Nicola Raybould and Det Con Simon Ledbury thanked the victims who had "brought a dangerous offender to justice".

"Chalkley has refused to accept the severity of his actions against the two victims and has shown no remorse throughout the investigation and at court," they added.

"We hope this conviction sends out an important message – any acts of violence towards women and girls will never be tolerated and every victim deserves to be heard and supported."

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