John Hutton from Barham sentenced to nine years in prison for raping a woman

John Hutton, of Old Rectory Close, Barham, denied raping a woman in July 2021 but was unanimously found guilty by a jury at Ipswich Crown Court on 3 May following a trial.

The court heard that Hutton, 34, raped the woman after accompanying her home from the Fox Pub in Elmswell, where he had met her and her friends on an evening out.

The woman said she remembered not being able to move during the attack.

During the trial, the court heard that she shouted at him twice to leave, but he did not. In addition, her ten-year-old daughter witnessed her mother returning with Hutton.

In a statement to the court, she described how badly the attack had affected her and said she had been forced to leave her home where the attack had taken place.

Barham man John Hutton was arrested (Image: Suffolk Police)

The victim said: “I felt almost dead emotionally and physically.

“The happy times I should have shared with my loved ones have been lost and everything that should have brought me joy has been tainted by this event.

“I hated my body. When I looked at it, I felt physically sick, and before that happened, I was a fulfilled person.”

She explained how much she hated the place where it happened.

“I no longer felt safe and was constantly on edge. The home I loved became the house where I was raped.”

She went on to say that not only she herself was suffering, but also her daughter, who witnessed Hutton leading her mother into the bedroom.

“All my experiences are overshadowed when I think about what my daughter went through and witnessed.

“I watched my beautiful, confident little girl become hateful, distant and fearful.

“Even though she is incredible and strong, it has changed her life forever.”

She added: “There was no remorse, no admission of wrongdoing.

And turning to the defendant, she said: “I hope you learn what is right and what is wrong.

“I hope you learn that you cannot treat people with such contempt.

“I hope you can become a better person.”

Defence counsel Simon Spence KC said the defendant’s understanding of true consent was confusing but said the judge should bear in mind the positive character references the court had received.

Judge Pugh said the victim was particularly vulnerable due to her drunkenness and this must have been obvious before imposing a nine-year prison sentence.