In February 2019, Nicholas Howard, a 38-year-old former boss of Swindon-based Circle Cider, committed a brutal rape against a woman while they were in bed together. Despite her repeated requests for him to stop, Howard continued the assault for his own sexual gratification, showing a callous disregard for her wellbeing and the long-term trauma he would inflict.
The incident came to light after the victim confronted Howard, who initially responded by offering to hand himself in to the police if it would help her. He later confessed to a friend about the rape, appearing cold and passive, remarking, 'If I hang for it, I hang for it.' The victim initially delayed reporting to authorities but eventually sought help at a sexual assault referral centre, leading to Howard's voluntary interview at Gablecross police station in early March 2019. During this interview, without a lawyer present, Howard admitted the rape, stating: 'We started having sex. I asked her to look at me. She said she didn’t want to, I don’t like it, at which point I didn’t stop.' He acknowledged that this constituted rape.
However, by autumn 2019, during a re-interview, Howard retracted his admission, claiming he had reviewed the Crown Prosecution Service's definition of rape online and no longer believed his actions met the criteria. Prosecutor David Scutt dismissed this as nonsense, accusing Howard of arrogance for assuming the victim would not pursue the case to trial. The matter proceeded to a three-day trial at Swindon Crown Court in December 2020, where jurors unanimously convicted Howard after just three hours of deliberation. Despite his earlier confession, Howard had chosen to contest the charges.
Sentencing occurred on 6 January 2021 before Judge Jason Taylor QC, who described Howard as 'arrogant and totally lacking in remorse.' The judge highlighted the stark contrast between the victim's broken demeanour—appearing as a 'timid little girl who had been bullied into submission'—and Howard's cold, callous attitude observed during the trial. Judge Taylor noted: 'You did this for your own sexual gratification, betraying how little respect you actually had for her. You must have known it was against her will from the outset. She told you again and again she didn’t want it but you carried on anyway.' The court heard defences from John Simmons, who pointed to inconsistencies in the victim's accounts and suggested she was manipulative, while likening Howard's initial confession to a misguided self-diagnosis. Nonetheless, the judge rejected these arguments, emphasising Howard's previous good character was overshadowed by the severity of the offence.
Under new sentencing rules effective from late 2020, Howard must serve two-thirds of his term in custody before eligibility for release. He is required to register as a sex offender for life. The case was reported by the Swindon Advertiser on 7 January 2021, drawing on court proceedings and Wiltshire Police records.