A woman “believed she was going to die” as she was being raped by man in a terrifying attack. Joseph Yuen was charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in Radcliffe. At a trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court in June this year, the 30-year-old was found guilty by a jury of two counts of rape and cleared of the other three charges.
On Thursday, prosecutor Emma Clarke described the horrific incidents and the long-lasting effects that the offences have had on the victim. Ms Clarke read a victim impact statement from the woman which said she “started to experience flashbacks and nightmares” and “felt stuck in survival mode” while waiting for the trial to begin, more than four years on from the crimes. The court heard that on one occasion she “believed she was going to die” and her doctor told her she has been left with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Defending, Mark Pritchard mentioned the impact that the length of the trial was having on Yuen, but Judge Tina Landale intervened and said she was “against” this point as his client had pleaded not guilty against the charges. The court also heard Yuen, of Bournville Drive, Bury, was of good character with no previous convictions, he had good references, showing he is “well thought of”, and he would be going to prison for the first time in his life. But Judge Landale told him that the victim has had to live with the consequences of his actions and the severe psychological harm i.