46-year-old man jailed for attacking and raping a woman in Bristol over 23 years ago
A 46 year-old man has been jailed for more than 10 years for attacking and raping a woman in Bristol over 23 years ago.
Inderjit Singh Bains, 46, of Heneage Lane, Falfield, committed the attack on a woman after picking her up in his van at around 1am on January 10, 2002.
After circling the area of St Werburghs and stopping outside a pub, Bains picked up the victim, who was in the street sex trade, in his white panel van.
Upon agreeing a fee, Bains drove towards Eastgate, where the victim asked to go, but didn’t turn off and headed up for the M32 towards Frenchay instead, where he stopped in a secluded area off Stoke Lane.
The victim asked for payment first, which Bains pretended to reach for in his jacket pocket before punching her repeatedly to the face and body, causing her to lose and swallow a tooth.
He proceeded by raping her without using a condom, before telling her to get dressed and driving her back into the city.
To protect others, the victim made a report to the One25 Project, which supports women in the street sex trade, soon after the attack. This report included a detailed description of the offender as well as his number plate.
The victim, who is now in her 50s, also reported the incident to the police in January 2022.
Following a trial at Bristol Crown Court in March, a jury unanimously found Bains guilty of rape and actual bodily harm.
Earlier today (April 25), he was sentenced to be jailed for ten-and-a-half years.
In an impact statement read to the court, the victim said: “The immediate impact of this crime on me was so traumatic that I used heroin to suppress any emotional impact, the physical impacts of the attack healed after time, but the emotional impact will stay with me forever.
“The flashbacks, panic attacks and nightmares I have continue to this day. I truly thought I was going to die that night, that kind of trauma is not easily fixed.
“There is still so much judgement and stigma around women who are trapped in the lifestyle I was, that it’s easier to let people think I’m crazy, as how do I explain what happened to me?
“For me to come forward again all these years later was the hardest decision I had to make, as I didn’t trust the police or the justice system to take me or the crime against me seriously…I didn’t realise how much emotional trauma I’d locked away about the attack.
“If it wasn’t for the empathetic, non-judgemental nature of my investigating officer, I would never have put myself through the retraumatising effects of a trial, but I am told this is also part of my healing process.
“Going to court was terrifying, especially having to face him, but I’m so glad I did as I see him not as a monster, but as a coward who preys on the most vulnerable people in society.”
Investigating officer PC Chris Quick, of Operation Bluestone, said: “Bains carried out a cruel, callous and violent attack on a vulnerable victim, leaving her with horrible injuries and a lifetime of trauma.
“When he dropped her off in the city centre following the attack, the victim memorised his number plate, which she was able to recall two decades later when she reported the incident to me. The One25 Project had also retained the report the victim made in 2002, which proved to be a key piece of evidence in the case.
“She’s had to spend the last 23 years without the justice she deserved, but her decision to come forward and report this offence is a testament to her enduring strength and courage.
“I’m so pleased she had enough faith in the police to believe she’d be listened to and to trust us to investigate this terrible crime. I truly hope this outcome will encourage other victims of sexual violence to come forward, whenever they’re ready, safe in the knowledge their voices will be heard.”