St Athan man sentenced for raping woman who asked him to stop

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Mark White (Image: South Wales Police)

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A man who ignored a woman’s repeated pleas to stop during sex and pinned her down has been sentenced to more than three years in prison.

The offence

Mark White, 50, of Pant y Celyn, St Athan, had been having consensual sex with the victim when she told him she was in pain and asked him to stop.

Prosecutor Nigel Fryer told Newport Crown Court that instead of stopping, White grabbed the woman’s legs and pushed her down onto the bed. Despite her repeatedly telling him to stop and that he was hurting her, White continued, showing no regard for her consent or wishes.

The victim later said she felt like a “rag left on the bed” afterwards. When she confronted White about what he had done, he broke down crying and said he had become “too excited”.

How police became involved

White himself contacted police in December 2024 to report that items including a television and bed sheets had been taken from his home. He also told officers that a woman had threatened to report him for rape.

During the visit, White showed officers text messages from the victim on his phone. One read: “I can’t forget you pinned me down and forced yourself upon me.”

White had apologised in the exchange, but the victim responded: “I also know you hurt me, saying you lost control doesn’t fix the fact you raped me.”

Officers subsequently spoke to the victim, who gave her account of what had happened.

Victim’s impact

Reading her own victim personal statement to the court, the woman said she had suffered mental health issues and felt she had been “taken advantage of” by White.

She said: “He hurt me emotionally and physically… He is a bully and a dangerous man. I no longer like leaving my house due to my anxiety… I end up crying on the bed, sweating…

“I will have to live with the fact Mark raped me due to him being so excited and not being able to control himself. I can’t stop thinking about what Mark did to me every day. I am fearful he could do it again to someone else other than me… He treated me like a sex toy and said sex was like an obsession…

“I have considered taking my own life due to what Mark did to me. I have had to attend the doctors for medication. I struggle to sleep at night and I’ve not had a proper night’s sleep since what Mark did.”

Sentencing

White, who was of previous good character, pleaded guilty to rape.

In mitigation, Andrew Taylor described his client’s actions as a “loss of control” and said White’s family were “flabbergasted” by what he had done.

Judge Matthew Porter-Bryant sentenced White to 39 months’ imprisonment. He was also made subject to a restraining order for 15 years and indefinite sex offender notification requirements.