A HOMELESS man raped a disabled woman at knifepoint and dragged her around the floor by her hair, then imprisoned her in her own home.
Jyde Hammond, 41, of no fixed address, attacked the woman when she returned home from a night out in Maldon with another man.
Hammond accused the victim of kissing the man and when she returned to her bungalow in the town, he "flipped out" in a jealous rage, attacking her in the lounge of her home, kicking her and pulling her around the room by her hair.
He then threatened her with a knife and raped her.
In the days after the rape on July 3, Hammond locked all the doors and windows and took her mobile phone from the woman, only letting her leave when she went to work the following Monday afternoon, July 7.
She waited until the following Saturday to report the crime to the police after she had another argument with Hammond and he "raised his fist" at her and made further threats.
Hammond testified at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday that the rapes did not take place and stated that the woman was free to go at any time.
He said that he spotted the woman kissing and engaging in "sexual activity" in a pub before he left. "I was upset. I lost my cool. I asked her why? She completely denied it," Hammond told the court.
But speaking of the assault, which he admitted, he said: "I'm ashamed at what I had done. I'm disgraced at that. I called her names but there was no knife in the front room."
The victim gave evidence during the three-day trial that began on Thursday last week.
"He had the knife in his hands and held it to the side of my throat, I said, 'what are you doing?' It happened so fast," she said.
"He pulled my jeans down against my will. My head was seriously painful and the lower left side of my back was bruised.
"He was begging me not to call the police. He then started crying, saying that he was sorry he was also threatening me.
"He didn't let me out until Monday afternoon. I was on lockdown. I told him that people will be worried if I didn't show up."
Chris Paxton, prosecuting, said: "The victim was particularly vulnerable due to her personal circumstances and her physical disability.
"Mr Hammond just flipped out and attacked her, grabbing her, throwing her to the floor and calling her names including 'a whore', leaving her frightened and concerned.
"And at one point he placed a knife up to her throat and told her that he hated her.
"He then put the knife to his own chest saying that she should kill him. He then put the knife down and began dragging her around the room like a rag doll by her hair.
"She was kicked several times to her body and to her legs.
"But that was not the end of the physical violence – she was then subjected to a sexual assault.
"He pulled her jeans down, knickers down and underwear. She didn't want any of it but he wasn't interested in what she wanted, he was only interested in what he wanted, and his own sexual gratification.
"She didn't want to have sex but he wasn't interested and after a period of time she gave up.
"Mr Hammond had told her that she shouldn't go to the police and he threatened to burn her house down, bricks and mortar."
On Monday the jury returned a majority verdict of 10 to two on one count of oral rape, one count of rape and one count of false imprisonment between July 3 and 7.
Sasha Bailey, defending Hammond, said: "He has from a young age suffered abuse from his stepfather and spent the majority of his childhood in care homes and has been prescribed medication for depression."
Hammond had already admitted one count of actual bodily harm and the court heard he had 41 previous convictions.
Judge Christopher Ball sentenced him to two years in prison for ABH, 11 years for the two rapes and two years for false imprisonment, to be served concurrently.
