Predatory rapist targeted teenager he met in Middlesbrough bar

Convicted drug dealer Valentine Livingston persuaded his teenage victim to return to his home with a group of friends for a party.

However, CCTV footage from a pizza takeaway showed how the victim was ‘mortal drunk’ and in no fit state to consent to sex, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The 35-year-old raped the woman in his bed before hiding her underwear under his mattress after he took advantage of her while they were in Spensley's nightclub on Albert Road, Middlesbrough, in July 2017.

The court heard during Livingston’s trial how the victim had awoken in his bed without her underwear and in pain.

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During his evidence, he accepted that they had had sex but insisted that he stopped when she had asked him to.

Valentine Livingston

Recorder Peter Hampton jailed Livingston to eight years in prison after he was found guilty of rape in December last year.

“At the time of the offence she was out in Middlesbrough town centre, just as many people do,” he said. “During the course of the night she consumed alcohol, she got drunk, just as many young people do.

“That young girl, incapacitated like she was, should have been looked after, she should have been cared for. Unfortunately, she was to cross your path.”

The court had heard how she had fallen off a stool in a pizza shop before she was taken back to his flat.

“A witness said - ‘she was mortal drunk; she was all over, she could barely stand or walk in a straight line’. Back at your flat she went to bed, to sleep but you followed her – you raped her,” he added.

“This was predatory behaviour and it was driven by a sense of sexual entitlement you possessed at the time of the offence. There was no thought from you about the victim, the impact it would have upon her and you were intent in only satisfying your own sexual desires.”

Praising the bravery of the victim, he added: “She had to wait over four years for the trial to take place, she has shown great fortitude, dignity, and resilience in enduring that unacceptable delay and the experience of giving evidence.

“I make the same observations about the other witnesses who came to court to give evidence.”

Livingston, of Avondale Gardens, Dyke House, Hartlepool, formerly of Middlesbrough, denied two counts of rape - claiming the sex was consensual on both occasions.

He was acquitted of raping a second woman who said she smoked skunk at his flat after a night out, before going to sleep in Livingston's bed.

Paul Abrahams, in mitigation, said his client had cleaned up his lifestyle since the rape was committed in 2017 and was due to become a father again later this year.

Livingston was also made subject of an indefinite restraining order to protect both complainants.

Speaking after the hearing, investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Lizzie Stubbs, said: “I welcome the sentence passed today and hope it brings a degree of comfort to the victim who has shown great courage throughout the investigation and court process.

“Livingston took advantage of a vulnerable teenage girl and is clearly a danger.

“Anyone who is victim of rape or any kind of sexual abuse can rest assured they can report in complete confidence to Cleveland Police.”

“We have specially trained officers and we also work closely with local specialist agencies; together we will deal with your report sensitively and thoroughly, while offering all the support you may need.”

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