Michael Burns

Michael Burns, a 56-year-old man from South Shields, raped a woman who had fallen asleep on his sofa after they both attended a party. Newcastle Crown Court heard that Burns and the victim, a stranger to him, had gone to his flat to collect some tobacco to take back to the gathering. While there, the woman dozed off on the sofa, and Burns proceeded to rape her.

Prosecutor Emma Dowling told the court that the woman had no concerns about Burns initially, describing him as seeming "ok". She accepted a sealed can of Coke from him before falling asleep. The next thing she could recall was waking up to find Burns having sex with her. She pushed him off and managed to escape the flat.

Burns was questioned by the police after the attack. DNA belonging to him was discovered on the woman's underwear. He initially claimed that "she must have done something to him", but later pleaded guilty to rape. The victim, in an impact statement, said she had lost her confidence, become paranoid, and struggled to eat and sleep following the assault. She described the attack as something she would "never really get over".

Judge Stephen Earl sentenced Burns to five years and nine months in prison, describing rape as "a horrific offence" with "consequences far beyond the actual act". Burns was also placed on the sex offender register for life and a restraining order was imposed. The court was told that Burns had 44 previous offences on his record, including causing death by dangerous driving in 1994.

In mitigation, defence barrister Claire Anderson said Burns suffered from alcoholism and had mental and physical health problems. He planned to relocate after his release. Burns wrote a letter to the judge expressing he was "really, really sorry" and wanted to "sincerely apologise" to the victim.