A Hastings man, Nathan Ackerley, has been sentenced to ten years in prison for the rape of a vulnerable woman. Ackerley, 28, residing on School Road, attacked the woman in October 2021 after bringing her back to his home.
The woman, who had fallen asleep, awoke to find Ackerley assaulting her and discovered her clothing had been cut. She managed to escape and immediately reported the crime at a police station. Specialist officers provided her with support while Ackerley was located and arrested on suspicion of rape. A search of Ackerley’s phone revealed he had taken pictures of the victim while she was asleep.
Ackerley was charged with rape, sexual assault by touching, sexual assault by penetration, and voyeurism. On Friday, July 19, he was convicted of all charges, and on Monday, July 22, he was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment, with a minimum period of two-thirds. Additionally, Ackerley received a restraining order against the victim and was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.
Following the sentencing, the victim, a woman in her 20s, expressed her gratitude: “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 praised the victim’s courage, saying: “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 to 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 dialing 999 in an emergency,” Cook added.
