Rosario Reis

On 19 February 2023, at approximately 7am, Rosario Reis, a 27-year-old man from Southampton, attacked a 19-year-old woman in Palmerston Park. Reis had been stalking the victim in the early hours of the morning, forcing her towards a secluded area of the park where he raped her.

A member of the public passing by noticed the victim and became concerned for her safety. When the victim signalled for help, the witness alerted the police, prompting Reis to flee the scene. City CCTV operators identified and tracked Reis, leading to his arrest at the National Express coach station shortly afterwards.

Reis, born on 15 September 1995, pleaded guilty to rape at an earlier hearing. On 21 September 2023, at Southampton Crown Court, he was sentenced to eight years and four months' imprisonment, with an extended six-year period on licence to follow. The case was prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Wessex, as detailed in their official press release.

Nicola Morse, Senior Crown Prosecutor in the CPS Wessex Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) Team, commented: 'The evidence in this case centred around the offender’s behaviour; the way in which he stalked the victim in the early hours of the morning, forcing her towards a secluded area of the park, and then promptly leaving the scene when disturbed by a witness. Piecing this together with the victim’s and key witness’ evidence built a strong prosecution case against Reis, demonstrating how implausible his initial defence was that contact between them had been consensual.' Morse also paid tribute to the victim's courage in reporting the incident and supporting the prosecution.

The prosecution highlighted the non-consensual nature of the attack, supported by witness testimony and CCTV footage, which contradicted Reis's initial claims. This outcome underscores the CPS's commitment to pursuing justice in serious sexual offence cases, ensuring that perpetrators face appropriate consequences for their actions.