A vile man who raped an 18-year-old woman behind Liverpool Lime Street station was jailed after his "sickening" attack.
William Ormandy, 31, approached and started talking to an 18-year-old woman just before 2am on Sunday, February 6 as she walked alone towards Liverpool Lime Street Station taxi rank. Ormandy said, “you’re gorgeous”, and asked where she was going as he followed.
A short while later he said, “give me a kiss” to which she told him no, he then grabbed her and tried to kiss her. Cheryl Mottram, prosecuting, at Liverpool Crown Court, said: "She told him she just wanted to get home, but he continued to follow her asking to go back to her house with her. She told him that she lived at home with her mum and told him she was only 18."
READ MORE: Nephew murdered 'father figure' in front of his children
The court heard how at just after 2am he pulled her into a service alleyway near the station and continued trying to kiss her as she pleaded for him to let her go. She decided to walk up to London Road to get to the next taxi rank, Ormandy then raped the victim and left the location.
When she started to walk off he told her "come here" but she left the scene and he went in the opposite direction. Luckily three women came across the 18-year-old in a distressed state and she explained what happened. One of them refused to leave her and flagged down a taxi and took her home.
A major investigation was then launched by BTP detectives to trace and arrest Ormandy. On Wednesday, February 16, Ormandy handed himself in at St Anne Police Station and was arrested on suspicion of rape. In interview, he stated he consensually kissed the victim three times and denied raping her.
In a statement, the 18-year-old victim explained how she must take medication to sleep and described the impact of the rape. She said: "Since the incident l have not left the house unless I am accompanied by a family member. I don’t like to be left alone. I need to know where my family are at all times, and I often sleep in same bed as my sisters.
"There have been times that my mum has held me whilst I cry. I am awake at all times in the night having showers, washing myself.
"The incident has had a devastating effect on my education. I had been aspiring to go to university, but I have failed all my university interviews. I had clear ambitions and dreams, now I don’t know what the future holds for me."
William John Ormandy, 31, of Derby Court, Church Road, Halewood, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court via video link on Friday, March 18 where he pleaded guilty to rape. This afternoon (April 25) Judge David Potter sentenced him to eight years and three months in prison and imposed an extended four year licence.. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
On handing down the sentence at Liverpool Crown Court, the judge said he was satisfied that Ormandy “deliberately targeted a lone 18-year-old and isolated her, showing a significant degree of planning”. The court heard Ormandy has 13 convictions for 29 previous offences including a history of violence against women.
He was convicted last year of assaulting and harassing a former partner and was subject to a community order at the time of the rape. Sarah Holt, defending, said that Ormandy “struggles to comprehend his behaviour and has no recollection.
She added: “He is ashamed of himself and says he is lost for words.” Miss Holt said his family is devastated and does not condone his behaviour but will support him when he leaves jail.
Judge Potter told Ormandy, his previous convictions “reveal a worrying attitude that you have towards those you are involved within intimate relationships. You have a violent history against women.
“It was a persistent incident and force was used. The pre-sentence report demonstrates a lack of insight into your offending.”
Judge Potter said that he agreed with the probation officer’s view that Ormandy represents a high risk of harm specifically to women, known to him or strangers.
Senior Investigating Officer in the case, Detective Inspector Granville Sellers, said: “Despite claiming he didn’t commit the offence in interview, Ormandy is undoubtedly an opportunist sexual predator that preyed on a vulnerable girl and subjected her to a sickening ordeal. He realised the net was closing in as my team worked round the clock to apprehend him and he subsequently handed himself in.
"The physical and emotional impact his despicable crime has had on the victim cannot be underestimated. She showed incredible bravery to report his actions to us, and we continue to support her as Ormandy faces his adequately long stint behind bars.
"While crimes like this are extremely rare on the railway, they will never be tolerated. I hope his quick journey between committing the abhorrent crime and being convicted serves as a stark warning to sexual predators – we will catch you and promptly bring you to justice."
