oby John: Hotel porter who raped TV star in her room jailed for 10 years
He took advantage of the celeb because she was so drunk she could hardly stand and then took intimate photographs of her on mobiles
A night porter who raped a TV star in her hotel room after a friend’s birthday party was jailed for ten years today.
Soby John, 25, took advantage of the woman celeb because she was so drunk she could hardly stand and then took intimate photographs of her on her iPhone and on his mobile.
The court heard that Indian-born John was in Britain on a student visa which had expired.
However, although he was due for deportation, he was allowed to work as a night porter at the five-star hotel in west London.
Jailing him at London’s Southwark crown court, Judge Alistair McCreath said the trauma had forced the victim to become anxious and lose trust in men.
He told John: “This victim was highly intoxicated and I have no doubt at all that you raped her for precisely that reason.
"You targeted her for that purpose, I have no doubt.”
The judge said the victim had suffered “massive anxiety” and faced the additional trauma of having to somehow explain to people why she was no longer on TV.
John, of Wembley, North West London, pleaded guilty to rape, having previously lied to police that she had invited him into her room.
He told officers: “I had sex with a woman” but later admitted that he had forced himself on her.
Lesley Jones, prosecuting, told the court that the woman and another man, neither of whom can be named for legal reasons, had been at a London nightclub last October 24 to celebrate his birthday but she was so drunk she had to be taken back to the hotel by an aide and put to bed in the early hours of the following day.
The court heard that John entered the room but was told to leave by the aide who then checked she was asleep and left.
However, the court heard that her male friend later returned to the hotel to check on her and found the door ajar.
Miss Jones said: “He was concerned about her. They had become fast friends. He went to her room so he could check on her.
"He turned her on her side in case she was sick. He noticed she was fully clothed. He left her making sure he locked the door properly.”
She said that, at 9am that day, the victim appeared “distressed and upset.”
She told her friend that she had awoken to find an Asian man in a hotel uniform on top of her and having sex against her will.
Miss Jones said: “She said she felt immobilised and unable to defend herself.
"She felt herself going into unconsciousness again and the next thing she remembers is being awoken by a researcher.”
John had taken a picture of her semi naked on her phone and had used it to send text messages.
In addition, he took pictures on his phone, which has never been recovered, and made it appear that they had exchanged their personal numbers.
Peter Higginson, defending, told the court that John was a “naive young man floundering in a culture which he hasn’t quite come to terms with.”
He said there was no violence involved because the victim was so drunk but added: “The aggravating feature in this case is the invasion, the effective burglary of the room, breaching the trust of his employer, of allowing himself to trespass into a room which she should be able to regard as a sanctuary.”
Mr Higginson admitted John initially denied rape but added: “He was in a state that he was not able to come to terms with - not only his own guilt but the shame and disgust that he had put on his family.
“He saw an opportunity and could not control his sexual urge. It is a loss of control. He was encountering an experience that he had never been close to before.
"This is a moment of exploiting a woman and violating a woman who is unable to protect herself.”
The victim made an impact statement to the court which was not read out but the judge said it showed that she was now frightened to stay in hotels, had “huge trust issues with people” and was frightened to go out alone or be in the company of men.
Judge McCreath ordered that John be deported when he has served his sentence.
