Luke Smith, aged 24, formerly of Garstang, Lancashire, has been sentenced to an extended determinate sentence of 22 years at Preston Crown Court following a campaign of coercive control, digital surveillance, stalking, and repeated rapes against a woman.
The court heard that Smith exerted an escalating, suffocating level of control over the victim. He dictated her sleep patterns by ordering when she was permitted to sleep, regulated her social interactions by monitoring who she spoke with, and seized control of her mobile device. Smith coerced the victim into changing her personal handset password before programming his own biometric facial recognition access onto the phone, enabling him to track her geographical location and intercept private messages.
Smith bombarded the woman with unwanted messages and turned up unannounced at locations where she was present. On one occasion, after being turned away from her address, Smith followed the woman to a social event at a public house. Although venue security intervened and ejected Smith from the premises, he waited outside the building for her to emerge. The court heard evidence that Smith subjected the woman to repeated rapes, continuing his attacks despite her explicitly saying no and begging him to stop.
Under UK legislation, all victims of sexual offences are protected by lifelong statutory anonymity.
Following his arrest by Lancashire Constabulary, Smith admitted an offence of harassment but entered not guilty pleas to the sexual violence charges, falsely maintaining that all sexual acts had been consensual. His indictment included six counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour, six counts of sexual assault, sending communications of an indecent or offensive nature, and stalking involving serious alarm or distress. Following a contested Crown Court trial, the jury unanimously rejected his claims and found him guilty.
In a victim personal statement read to the court, the survivor described how the trauma had shattered her sense of safety, before declaring: “I am the person who survived it, stood up, spoke out and is now taking back the life that belongs to me.”
On 25 September, the presiding judge classified Smith as a dangerous offender under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and passed an extended determinate sentence of 22 years. The sentence comprises an immediate custodial term of 18 years’ imprisonment, followed by an extended licence period of four years.
Under statutory sentencing guidelines governing extended sentences for serious sexual offences, Smith must serve at least two-thirds of the 18-year custodial portion before he is eligible to be considered for parole. He was also made subject to lifetime notification requirements on the Sex Offenders Register and protective restraining orders.
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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