Man jailed for four years after raping woman as she lay beside child

A company director who raped a 30-year-old woman as she slept with her seven-year-old daughter was today jailed for four years.

Father-of-two Andris Valainis, 35, who was director of a company couriering goods between the UK and Latvia, was convicted of raping the woman at a house in Motherwell, Lanarkshire, on September 8, last year.

He claimed the sex was consensual, but his victim told the trial jury: “If I wanted it to happen I wouldn't be here.”

Judge Lord Matthews told Valainis: “The complainer went to bed with her young child lying beside her and woke up to find you have sexual intercourse with her. I accept you probably did not know the child was there.

“The complainer says she has thrown herself into work to try to put things behind her. One can only hope that the trial and this sentence will bring some closure to her.”

The High Court in Glasgow heard the woman woke up to find Valainis having sex with her.

Later when quizzed by police Valainis, who is originally from Latvia, claimed that he never had any sexual contact with the woman.

But after hearing that his DNA had been found on the woman during an internal examination, Valainis changed his story and claimed that they had had consensual sex at her instigation.

The court heard that a number of adults and children were in the house in Motherwell that night.

Prosecutor Angela Gray said: “All crime involves risk, every rape and Andris Valainis was willing to take that risk.

“He was interrupted by his victim waking up. When the police were called his victim was sobbing and he told a bare-faced lie at the police station saying he never had sex with her.

'With the mounting evidence he selected a different lie and claimed she was upset because he had stopped having sex with her.”

Ms Gray added: “If she wanted it to happen why there, on that bed, with her daughter sleeping beside her.

“Valainis was the only adult in the house that night who did not know where the child was sleeping.”

The court was told that Valainis has previous convictions for assault and a road traffic offence.

Defence counsel Tim Niven-Smith said “He had a productive and worthwhile lifestyle. He is a director of a company couriering goods to Latvia and other parts of Europe.

“There will be financial hardship for his family while he is in custody.

“There was no physical injury to the complainer and it was not a sustained attack on her.”

Valainis was placed on the sex offenders' register.

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