[A] man has been jailed for five years after he was convicted of rape.
Andrew Shaw, 24, of Dickson Road, Blackpool, raped the 22-year-old victim in the early hours of June 26th last year.
The victim had been on a night out when she was taken back to a flat in St Annes where Shaw was staying with a friend. The following morning she reported that she had been raped by Shaw during the night.
He claimed the pair had consensual sex but the victim argued she had been too drunk to give her consent and the jury agreed, convicting Shaw of rape after a trial at Preston Crown Court last month.
Detective Constable Ian Massey, of Blackpool CID, said: “Sex without consent is rape and if a person is too drunk to give consent, it should always be assumed that they have NOT given their consent. Shaw has clearly disregarded the victim’s intoxicated state to take advantage of her.
“We take investigations into rape and sexual assault very seriously. We have specially trained officers who will explain the process all the way through and help victims to make a statement about what has happened.
“We work closely with partners to ensure victims have access to the assistance they need and that offenders are brought to justice.”
