Dorchester man jailed for teenage girl's rape
Adrian Cordery's been handed his punishment for the knifepoint attack.
33 year old Adrian Cordery, who's from Dorchester, appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court to be given a 15 year prison sentence.
He will also be subject to an extended licence of a further eight years following his jail term.
Cordery had previously been found guilty of rape following a trial.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The incident happened on the evening of Thursday 5th December 2019, when the 15 year old victim was walking along Barnes Way, close to St Osmund's School.
She was approached by Cordery, who forcibly took her onto the school playing field and sexualy assualted her at knifepoint.
He told his victim to do as she was told and she wouldn't get hurt.
DNA profiles didn't find a match on the police database, but Cordery was identified through CCTV images, subsequently confirmed with a check of his DNA.
Following the sentencing, the victim's father said in a statement:
"This last 11 months has been a horrendous ordeal for our daughter and our family. I am grateful that it has finally come to an end. We would like to thank the members of Dorset Police, especially the members of the Major Crime Investigation Team. I would also like to thank the Crown Prosecution Service and the barrister who presented my daughter's case, along with the judge for his consideration.
"This has been a difficult case considering our daughter's age and I would like to offer my thanks to the public, especially those who came forward, that helped the police to bring the culprit to justice.
"My daughter is an amazing, beautiful, caring and kind young lady who has been through the worst ordeal that anyone can suffer. She has shown strength and resilience that I will always admire in her. Although this has been a horrific experience, she shows that good can always come from the worst circumstances. I have struggled to come to terms with this, but even I can see small shoots of hope. This has affected her wellbeing beyond understanding.
"This is a time when she should be enjoying a new chapter in her life but Cordery has taken that away from her. She will carry the mental and physical scars for the rest of her life and, as a father, I can only hope that she can put this behind her and can start to rebuild her life."
Detective Inspector Wayne Seymour, of MCIT, said:
"I continue to be amazed by the bravery and maturity shown by the young victim in his case throughout the past 11 months in the face of all that she has been through. Her courage helped to secure the conviction of Adrian Cordery for his evil crime.
"This was a complex and wide-ranging investigation and I would like to thank all those in the Force, as well as the local community and members of the public, for their support.
"This case shows that we will do all we can do bring dangerous offenders like Cordery to justice and I hope it helps to give anyone else unfortunate enough to be a victim of a sexual offence the confidence to come forward and report it to us."