A MAN who claimed his sexual activity with a woman was consensual has been jailed for rape.

James Lidbetter, 39, was found guilty of rape following a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court last month.

Lidbetter, from Ringwood, was sent down at the same court yesterday, June 25, over the sexual assault, which took place in 2015.

A jury reached a unanimous guilty verdict on May 24 of this year in relation to the charge of rape.

The defendant claimed the sexual activity was consensual, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it was able to build a strong case against him using the testimony of the victim which showed Lidbetter was aware she did not consent to the encounter.

The court heard Lidbetter only stopped the sexual assault after repeated requests to desist by the victim.

Mitigating, Rob Harding said Lidbetter had no relevant previous convictions and during the trial it was accepted that he was of previous good character.

Mr Harding asked the judge to keep the prison sentence as short as possible.

The court heard that the prosecution and mitigation counsel agreed the offence carried a starting point of five years’ imprisonment, with a range of four to seven years.

Judge Jonathan Fuller QC jailed Lidbetter for four years. The judge said he will serve at least half of this term before he can be released on licence.

The defendant was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

In a statement after the hearing, Sophie Stevens, head of CPS Wessex Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit, said: “As part of our long-term partnership with Dorset Police to improve outcomes for victims in rape and serious sexual assault cases, we are working together from an early stage to ensure there is sufficient evidence to prosecute, and to better support victims through the criminal justice system.

“I want to encourage victims to feel confident in coming forward to report rape and serious sexual assaults to the police.

“Our team of dedicated and specialist prosecutors are committed to delivering justice for victims, and we will do all we can to ensure perpetrators experience the full force of the law.”

Victims can report sexual offences to their local police force on 101. They should call 999 if they are in immediate danger.

For confidential support, victims can speak to Rape Crisis and Victim Support.