A WOLVERHAPTON man who was arrested for drink driving has been jailed for raping a woman 18 years ago after his DNA matched that found at the scene.
Sukhdarshan Singh, 52, evaded arrest after the incident in a south Wales market. But a DNA sample found at the scene was kept on file and was matched to Singh when he was arrested for drink driving.
Singh, from Bilston, Wolverhampton, originally denied the charge but changed his plea to guilty on the first day of the trial.
Prosecutor Martin Kelly told Cardiff Crown Court Singh had been selling jeans at the market in Bridgend, south Wales, when he was approached by the woman interested in purchasing a pair.
He said when the woman told Singh she was unsure if the pair would fit, he offered to let her use his van to try them on.
“She went in – and so did Singh”, Mr Kelly said.
“He pushed her down on a pile of clothes, pinned her down and raped her.”
The court heard when Singh had finished with the woman he said: “Stay here, I have another friend.”
The court also heard how the woman had suffered emotional trauma following the rape.
The mother of nine, who was 59 at the time of the attack, blamed the rape on difficulties on her marriage.
Sentencing Singh, Judge William Gaskell ordered him to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
He said: “The effect of your crime was to cause her to feel so bad about herself that she contemplated suicide.
“Your crime devastated her relationship with her husband and their sexual relationship was permanently damaged.
“You caused her family huge distress.
“She believes her husband died as a result of the stress bought into their relationship by the rape.”
