Dorchester man jailed for rape and violent assault
24 year old Jack Anthony Rowland has been given an 11 year jail term
A Dorchester man's been jailed for two counts of rape and assault offences.
24 year old Jack Anthony Rowland has been handed an 11 year jail sentence, and been given a ten year restraining order.
It's in connection with two violent incidents in West Dorset, involving the same victim.
The first happened in November 2022, where Rowland strangled and raped a young woman at his home address in Dorchester.
Then, between February 17th and 18th 2023, the same victim was with Rowland driving from Dorchester to Weymouth, when he became agitated and kicked her windscreen.
As they returned to Dorchester, Rowland asked the victim to pull over, and raped her in a layby.
Rowland was arrested the following day and charged with non-fatal strangulation, criminal damage, assault and two counts of rape.
Investigations Officer Florence Winstanley, of Dorset County CID, said:
“Firstly, I would like to praise the bravery of the victim who has shown considerable courage throughout the investigation and court process.
“Rowland used violence in both of the incidents and this kind of abhorrent offending will not be tolerated.
“We take reports of sexual offences very seriously and are committed to supporting victims, investigating offences and bringing offenders such as Rowland to justice.”
If you have been a victim of rape or sexual assault, and you want to report directly to the police, please call 101 and ask to be put in contact with a specially-trained police officer.
You should always dial 999 in an emergency, or you can contact The Shores Sexual Assault Referral Centre on 0800 970 9954.