Great Yarmouth man jailed for rape and sexual assault

A Great Yarmouth man has been jailed for 14 years for raping two women and sexually assaulting a third. 

Connor Yaxley, aged 30, and of Sandown Road, was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court today (Friday 1 November 2024) following a trial in August when he was convicted of five counts of rape and one of sexual assault. 

He was sentenced to 14 years in prison followed by eight years on extended licence.

He will also be on the sex offenders register and subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for life.

The offences all took place between 2017 and 2020. 

In one instance, a woman had been asleep when she woke up to find him raping her. Yaxley claimed he had no recollection of how it happened and said he must have been dreaming at the time. 

Another woman was raped at Yaxley’s address after she refused to have sex with him. She told the court that on previous occasions Yaxley had also raped her while she was sleeping. 

Yaxley was also found guilty of sexually assaulting a third woman as she slept in an armchair at his address. 

The victims' personal statements were read out at court detailing the impact the attacks had on their lives.

One victim described how she is now afraid to sleep, saying: "It feels like there's a bogeyman constantly on my shoulder, like a phantom fear which is difficult to explain. I still can't sleep all of the way through the night because of this feeling of fear I have at night."

Another said she was "haunted" by Yaxley, adding: "I will always be affected by Connor. I will never heal from this trauma. At least now I know that he won't be able to prey on other women."

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Dylan Thomas, said: "These offences happened whilst these women were sleeping, and while they were at their most vulnerable. They were unsure if anyone would believe them up until they reported what happened to the police, and showed great courage despite the trauma they have suffered."

"I would urge anyone who believes that they are a victim of rape or sexual assault to report it to the police so that positive action can be taken against the perpetrator."

Advice and information about reporting rape or sexual assault is available here. Victims of sexual offences who live in Norfolk can contact the Harbour Centre for free, 24/7 support on 01603 276381.