Hastings man jailed for raping woman while she slept

A Hastings man who raped a vulnerable woman has been jailed for ten years.

Nathan Ackerley, 28, of School Road in Hastings, raped a woman as she slept after taking her back to his home in October, 2021.

She woke up during the attack, in which he had cut her clothing, managed to escape and came directly to a police station to report the crime.

While she was supported by specialist officers, Ackerley was located and arrested on suspicion of rape.

A search of his phone found he had taken pictures of the victim while she was asleep.

He was subsequently charged with rape, sexual assault by touching, sexual assault by penetration and voyeurism.

On Friday, 19 July, he was convicted of all charges and the following Monday – 22 July – he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment, with a minimum period of two thirds.

He was also given a restraining order against the victim and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Following sentencing, the victim – a woman in her 20s – gave the following statement: “I would like to thank Sussex Police for their continued support, and I hope other victims feel they can come forward. My aim was to prevent this happening to someone else in future, and hopefully we have achieved this.”

Detective Sergeant Ella Cook said: “The victim in this investigation showed incredible bravery to report this horrific ordeal to the police and support this process through to its conclusion.

“She has been clear that her intention was so stop this happening to someone else and, thanks to her, a dangerous man is behind bars where he can cause no further harm to the public.

“I would like to thank this courageous young woman and all involved in this investigation for their support and outstanding work.

“We take all reports of sexual offending extremely seriously and are committed to ensuring victims are supported while we do all we can to hold perpetrators to account.

“If you are a victim, please report it to police online, via 101 or by dialling 999 in an emergency."