JAILED: Maesteg man sentenced to five years and three months for rape

A 55-year-old Maesteg man has been jailed for five years and three months for rape and assault by penetration.

Stephen Jones was found guilty of one count of raping a woman over the age of 16 and one count of assaulting a woman aged 13 or over by penetration, following a five-day trial at Cardiff Crown Court in July.

He was sentenced at the same court on Monday 7 September.

Alongside the prison term, South Wales Police said, Jones was handed a 20-year restraining order and a sexual harm prevention order, and will be placed on the sex offenders register.

Detective Constable Rebecca Evans praised “the bravery it takes to come forward” and report offences of this kind.

“We hope that this sentence will go some way in helping the victim rebuild her life and heal from the awful events that took place,” she said.

“We want to encourage victims to come forward no matter the length of time since it happened, we will investigate and we will take it seriously.”

The force said it never underestimates how difficult it is for survivors of sexual abuse to speak out, but hopes cases like this provide reassurance that victims “will be listened to, treated with dignity and respect, and will be supported throughout the judicial process”.

Anyone who has been sexually abused and is not yet ready to report to police can find information and details of support services on the South Wales Police website.