Lincolnshire man sentenced to 22 years in prison at Lincoln Crown Court for sexual offences including raping woman at knifepoint

A Lincolnshire man who repeatedly raped a woman at knifepoint and sexually assaulted two girls was sentenced to 22 years in prison today (Fri).

David King, 42, of no fixed address, was found guilty of six counts of sexual abuse following a trial at Lincoln Crown Court.

The offences, some of which occurred in the Louth area, included oral rape of a child under 13 and two further counts of rape of a woman by an adult.

King was also convicted of sexually abusing a second child under the age of 13.

Statements from the three victims, whose names cannot be used for reasons of anonymity, were read in court. One of King’s victims, then a child, described how she regularly suffered from anxiety and panic attacks.

The woman said she had now grown up and gone from being a “shy, happy girl” to someone who could no longer go to school.

“It paralyzed me,” the woman added. “I felt like a prisoner in my own body.”

A second victim, now an adult, described how her mental health had deteriorated and she now had difficulty trusting men.

“I find it really hard to trust anyone,” the woman revealed. “I’m constantly suspicious.”

The statement of a third victim who was raped by King as an adult was also read.

She described how King had instilled in her a terrible fear of knives.

“The fear that he is free scares the hell out of me,” she added.

King was arrested in 2020 after filing a police report.

The court heard that King had no previous convictions and had been in custody since December.

John McNally, King’s defense attorney, told the court that King had a difficult childhood and considered harming himself.

“These are his first convictions,” McNally said. “The first investigations took place in 2021.”

“He found the pre-trial detention painful.”

Passing sentence, Judge Nigel Godsmark KC said he was satisfied that King had felt entitled to receive sexual gratification from women.

Judge Godsmark told King he used a knife to “terrorize” the victim of his adult rapes and he inflicted significant psychological harm on the oral rape victim.

An indefinite sexual assault restraining order was issued against King.

Judge Godsmark also issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting King from having contact with his victims.