Clubber who raped woman lied he was not guilty because she was 'fat'

Clubber, 32, raped bride-to-be, 26, in park then named her on Facebook as he ranted that he could not be guilty because she was too ‘fat and disgusting’

• Phillip Leece, 32, had posed as a Good Samaritan when he saw the 26-year old
• But he guided her through woodland to where CCTV was missing and raped her
• He bragged ‘I have raped no-one. Fat is not something that I am attracted to’

A clubber raped a drunken bride-to-be in a park then shamed her on Facebook in a ranting lie she was too ‘fat and disgusting’ for him to have sex with her.

Phillip Leece, 32, had posed as a Good Samaritan when he saw the 26-year old stranger struggling to walk home following a night out.

But Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard he forced himself on her as he was guiding her through woodland and later when he was identified on CCTV he repeatedly named her on social media.

Leece, from Chadderton, near Oldham, Greater Manchester, continued fat shaming her and even suggesting she had raped him.

Father-of-one Leece bragged: ‘I have higher than average intelligence. I have raped no-one. A big point for me is I hate fat. Fat is not something that I am attracted to.

‘I have thrown up after sleeping with fat people. I am disgusted by it, it doesn’t do it for me, that’s my sexual preference, not to be f****** fat. Sorry to put it like that but it is deep seated, so I am confused and amazed – maybe she’s a nice fat, not a fat fat, but she is bigger than I expected when viewing the footage.’

Phillip Leece, 32, had posed as a Good Samaritan but went on to rape his victim that night

In court the woman who has since married her fiancee read out a statement in which she told how had repeatedly self harmed since the 5am attack. She added: ‘His words have left me feeling like I am not worthy of looking after myself.

‘I felt distress, fear and anger on seeing the Facebook posts, particularly that fact that he had named me, made disparaging comments about my weight and suggested that I had raped him.

‘As a result I feared people would doubt my truthfulness, made me feel more anxious and insecure and caused me to eat more.’

She added: ‘I have contemplated taking my own life on a number of occasions and in the days and weeks following the attack.

‘I have had feelings of emptiness and shame as if somehow, I was to blame for what had happened. I hate victim blaming but found myself doing just that. I have asked myself why this happened to me and I can only think that it was because I was drunk and alone.

‘I constantly check that doors are locked at home, so obsessively in fact that my hand becomes red due to the number of times I pull on door handles. I would dwell on what happened even during my wedding ceremony and sometimes bursting into tears. Every time I thought about it, I would become angry at myself at why I got so drunk and why I was out at that time in the morning.

Leece had posted a fat-shaming rant on Facebook which illegally named his victim

‘It’s also had an adverse effect on intimacy with my husband as I suffers flashback of what happened and I feel I am struggling for breath. I now rarely wants to engage in sexual activity with my husband and feel discomfort in the presence of all men.’

In court Leece pleaded guilty to rape and was jailed for 11 years. He was given a fine for naming the victim on social media at an earlier hearing.

The incident occurred at 5am on March 31, 2019, after the woman who had been to Ko-Ko Kobano Lounge bar in Rochdale was walking through a park behind the town hall.

Leece had been out with friends at the same club and was thought to have taken Ecstasy during the evening before he spotted the woman struggling to walk home.

Mr Alaric Bassano prosecuting said: ‘She was extremely drunk, a vulnerability of which he deliberately took advantage. He purposefully pursued her into the park and portrayed himself as the Good Samaritan, ostensibly helping her in a state of confusion and distress.

‘She had wandered into a wooded area where drunk and disoriented in the dark she became lost and distressed and began to cry. She was approached by the defendant a stranger who asked if she was ok. She replied that she was lost and wanted to go home to her fiancé and then fell to the ground. He helped her to her feet and offered her his arm to steady herself as she walked through the woods.

‘But on some steps the defendant pushed her with force from behind causing her to fall to the ground face down. He then got on top of her, pinning her down with his body and holding her down with his arms and from behind penetrated her as she screamed out, telling him to stop. He then ran from the scene, leaving her in a pitiable state.

‘She pulled up her lower clothing and wandered off in great anger and distress, seeking help. She cried, screamed and shouted and banged on the windows of a hotel and next recalled being on a grassy verge being helped to her feet by the police.

‘She suffered and continues to suffer psychological harm. She has repeatedly harmed herself and repeatedly contemplated suicide. His posts on Facebook added insult to injury.’

Leece was arrested two weeks later but claimed memory loss for the offending times. Traces of his DNA were found the victim and her clothing.

His lawyer Mark Fireman said in mitigation: ‘There is no excuse for his appalling behaviour. At the time this offence was committed, he was not quite himself. What he wrote on Facebook was very narrow natured and of course, he should not have put those posts up.

‘He has had a difficult time coming to terms with what he did on that particular night.’

Following his release from jail, Leece will be on parole until the year 2037 under the terms of extended sentence. He will have to sign the Sex Offender Register for life and was banned from contacting the victim

Sentencing the judge Mr Recorder Nick Clarke QC told Leece: ‘This woman was drunk and alone and therefore she was vulnerable. You took deliberate advantage of the situation and you targeted her specifically in a purposeful quest.

‘You portrayed yourself as the Good Samaritan. She accepted your help when she fell over, but you deliberately took advantage of that situation for your own sexual gratification. This victim has shown remarkable courage by helping the police in their inquiries which eventually led to your arrest. She has also shown tremendous courage by reading her own victim impact statement out in court.

‘I am aware of the impact that this has had on her. She is very lucky to be in a loving relationship and to have such a supportive husband by her. They have since married since this attack.

‘I have also seen the footage of the incident. You were careful to move away from any cameras while you carried out the attack. You declined a lift home from your friends, and you deliberately followed her into the park.

‘There was no good reason for you to engage with her at all. There have been assertions made that it was your intention to help her originally, but a Good Samaritan does not commit rape. The naming of your victim is illegal and the words that you used are abhorrent and extreme. They have no place in a modern society where both men and women should be treated equally and the comments demonstrate your warped thinking.

‘I have no hesitation in finding you are dangerous.’

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