Teen Spared Jail After Raping Girl While She Slept

A 19-year-old Caerphilly man has been found guilty of raping an underage girl while she was sleeping in an incident dating back to 2021.

Ethan Walker, of High Street, Ynysddu, was convicted by a jury following a trial at Newport Crown Court. The court heard that the victim woke to find the defendant “penetrating her” – an act which took place when Walker was just 15 years old.

Prosecutor Clare Wilks told the court that the fact the offence occurred while the girl was asleep was an “aggravating feature” of the case.

In a powerful victim impact statement, the survivor described the devastating impact the crime has had on her life: “I have greatly suffered as a result of this. I have flashbacks to the events that took place and I feel ashamed and emotionally drained. I’ve been suffering with nightmares similar to the flashbacks. When I wake up, I feel really anxious and my skin is crawling.”

She added: “I feel as if I’m living with this trauma every day. He stole my childhood from me.” 😔

Despite the serious nature of the offence, Walker was spared immediate custody. Judge Daniel Williams noted that the defendant had sent Snapchat messages apologising to his victim and described Walker as “emotionally immature” with “a low risk of reoffending.”

The judge told Walker: “What you did was wrong, very wrong.” He also commended the victim for her “courage and fortitude.”

Walker received a two-year suspended sentence in a young offender institution and must complete 300 hours of unpaid community work. He will be subject to an eight-month electronically monitored curfew between 7pm and 7am.

The defendant must register as a sex offender for 10 years and was made subject to an eight-year restraining order prohibiting contact with his victim. He must also pay a surcharge. ⚖️