A frightened woman coerced into meeting a someone she had interacted with online was raped by Ryan Neale, the Harraby Rapist, in a car park of a Carlisle school.
Ryan Neale, 23, perpetrated the egregious assault after issuing the woman an ultimatum, insisting that she provide sexual favours or monetary compensation, or he would disseminate explicit photographs of her on social media platforms.
At Carlisle Crown Court, the defendant, Ryan Neale, from Lingmoor Way, Harraby, admitted guilt to one count of rape. The prosecution already dismissed the supplementary accusations of extortion and witness intimidation against him.
Hannah Forsyth, prosecuting, said Ryan Neale and the woman had made contact on Snapchat and as the online relationship developed they had mutually exchanged sexual messages and images.
They agreed to meet on October 14, 2021, said the barrister. But prior to that, [the woman] checked his Facebook page and realised that he was significantly younger than she had initially thought.
As a result of that, she cancelled the meeting.
But Ryan Neale, angered by this, began threatening the woman, demanding that she either gave him 100 in cash or she had sex with him – or if she did not he would post the sexual images he had of her on social media.
Despite her pleading for him to stop threatening her, he insisted she had to choose between giving him money or sex, otherwise he would act on his threat to make public her private sexual images.
Not having the cash, and terrified of what he might do, the woman agreed to meet Neale, driving into Carlisle to meet him. After driving to the car park of the Richard Rose Morton Academy, he raped her.
There was clear evidence that the woman did not consent to sex, and only met Ryan Neale as a result of her fear and his threats, said Miss Forsyth. It was later that night, when Neale contacted the woman again to demand money that she contacted the police, triggering a police investigation.
He was arrested on October 16, 2021, at his home, where police found him hiding beneath a sofa. After he was released, he again contacted the woman, telling her that contacting the police was the biggest mistake of her life.
The court heard that Ryan Neale had 26 offences on his criminal record, including two domestic violence offences against a former partner.
In a statement, the victim said she struggled with anger and found it difficult to sleep as she played over in her mind what happened. She was unable to continue with her job. Her mental health as been significantly impacted, said Miss Forsyth.
She no longer has the energy or motivation to go out.
Kim Whittlestsone, defending, said Ryan Neale had accepted responsibility for his crime, which he blamed on drink and drugs. He does have remorse, said the barrister.
Judge Nicholas Barker told Ryan Neale: You knew she was highly vulnerable because of the shame she would feel if you disclosed those images in a public way. You took advantage of that vulnerability.
You exploited it. The woman had felt bullied, said the judge and she was so fearful she felt she had no choice. There was an aspect of blackmail involved in Neale’s offending, said Judge Barker.
He jailed Ryan Neale for seven years and seven months. The defendant will be on the Sex Offender Register for life. After the case, Detective Constable Hein Van Der West praised the womans courage in coming forward.
The officer said of the defendant: “Ryan Neale is an evil man who failed to accept any responsibility for what he did until the very end.”
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