A Bicester man, Jay Spinks, has been imprisoned for raping a 15-year-old girl at a local skate park in September 2020. The incident, which occurred on 4 September 2020, involved Spinks, then aged 20, ignoring the victim's explicit non-consent during an intimate encounter that escalated against her wishes.
At Oxford Crown Court, Spinks was found guilty of rape following a trial last year. The court heard that the pair had been intimate earlier in the evening, but the victim made it abundantly clear she did not want to proceed to sexual intercourse. Despite this, Spinks, who was under the influence of alcohol and drugs at the time, continued, an act described by Judge Maria Lamb as a 'selfish act' driven by self-gratification.
Judge Lamb, sentencing Spinks on Wednesday to four-and-a-half years' custody, addressed him directly: 'It was all about self-gratification and although [your victim] was prepared to accept a certain amount of intimacy between you, she made it quite clear that she was not consenting to sexual intercourse with you.' The judge acknowledged Spinks' troubled state in 2020, noting he was 'out of control' due to drinking, drug use, and poor associations, but emphasised the lasting impact on the victim.
The victim's impact statement, summarised by prosecutor Ian Hope, revealed the profound effects of the assault. She suffered flashbacks, her GCSE exam results were adversely affected, and she has avoided male contact while seeking help for post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. Judge Lamb highlighted that 'for your victim the effects are still having an impact and are likely to be so for time without limit in the future.'
In mitigation, barrister James Hay described 2020 as a 'dark period' for Spinks, marked by a 'downward spiral of poor decision making' due to negative peer influences and substance misuse. Hay noted that Spinks had sought help from addiction charity Turning Point to address his drug issues and expressed concern for his parents rather than himself. Character references portrayed Spinks as a 'grounded and pleasant young man' outside of that period.
Spinks, residing in Woodfield, Bicester, will serve two-thirds of his sentence in custody before automatic release and is required to remain on the sex offenders' register for life. The case was reported by the Oxford Mail, with coverage by crime reporter Tom Seaward, drawing from court proceedings at Oxford Crown Court.