Rapist worked at youth club during police investigation

A woman convicted of raping a 17-year-old girl was allowed to work at a children’s after-school club whilst under investigation for the attack, it has emerged. 😱

Sarah Vigus, 38, worked at YMCA Porthcawl collecting primary school children and supervising them at the club in John Street until she was remanded in custody following her conviction.

South Wales Police have revealed that a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check carried out in May 2023 when Vigus applied for the role “contained comprehensive details about her arrest and the nature and extent of the alleged offences” from 2022.

However, YMCA Porthcawl claimed: “We have not been contacted by the police at any point, either before or following Sarah’s arrest, and were shocked to learn of the events that had taken place.”

The charity said it had “no knowledge of the investigation or the charges” until Vigus failed to turn up for work after being convicted and remanded in custody.

Vigus and her partner Robert Ellis-Evans, 39, both of Heol Degwm in North Cornelly, were found guilty in April of raping the teenager after a night out. The victim had passed out after drinking vodka shots bought by the defendants and woke to find herself being attacked by the couple at their home.

Last month at Cardiff Crown Court, both were sentenced to eight years and three months in prison. Vigus was also found guilty of assault by penetration.

In her victim impact statement, the young woman said: “I tried my hardest to move on with my life but it will always stick with me… Some days I can’t leave my bed or eat, I can’t look after myself. I feel dirty and no matter how many times I bath or shower or scrub myself I just don’t feel clean.”

She added: “I feel uncomfortable in my clothes. I’ve fallen out of love with my body and who I am. I thought of self-harm and suicide. I felt powerless and out of control.”

Parents whose children attended the club have been left shocked. One mother said: “This woman worked with YMCA Porthcawl after-school club while she was under investigation – picking my child up and other young children from primary school right up until the court date. I feel absolutely sickened this was allowed to happen. I would have never ever let my daughter near her if I knew this.”

Another wrote: “Sarah looked after my son from the age of three upwards. It sends a shiver down my spine.”

Judge Lucy Crowther told the defendants: “You both violated her in an intimate way, both emotionally and physically… She was a particularly vulnerable woman.”

The pair will each serve two-thirds of their sentences before being released on licence. They were placed under sex offender notification requirements for life and given an indefinite restraining order.

A YMCA Porthcawl spokesman said: “We are deeply disturbed by the serious crime for which Sarah Vigus has now been convicted. First and foremost our thoughts are with the victim and her family who have shown immense courage through an unimaginably distressing experience. We want to reassure parents and the wider community that the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in our care is always our highest priority.”