Suffolk man jailed for serious sexual assault in Ipswich

He'll serve 9 years

James MacKenzie
Author: Sian RochePublished 6th Mar 2023

A man has been jailed for the serious sexual assault of a woman in Ipswich.

32-year-old James MacKenzie, from Kelsale, was sentenced to 9 years in jail on Friday 3 March at Ipswich Crown Court.

He was found guilty of rape by a jury at an earlier hearing on 6 February.

The court had heard how in the early hours of 2 December 2018 MacKenzie removed the victim’s clothing, took photographs of her naked and then raped her.

Following this, there was an argument during which MacKenzie verbally abused the victim and struck her.

He'll serve two thirds of the sentence in jail and the rest on licence.

He has also been imposed with an indefinite restraining order and a lifetime order on the sex offenders register.

Investigating officer DC Kerry Bradley said: “I’d like to pay tribute to the complainant’s strength and courage over a four year period – she remained engaged during the whole investigative and judicial process. Whilst this was not easy, her evidence undoubtedly helped secure this conviction.”

“It is important to point out that the victim was supported the whole time by an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) to ensure justice was done despite the passage of time.”

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