A woman who was raped by a sexual predator while she was having a seizure said she still wakes up crying and panicking from nightmares about the attack.
Mark Anderson, of Shafton Road, Hackney, took advantage of the woman when she was unable to stop him - before abusing his victim in gloating text messages.
The 42-year-old has now been jailed for eight years for rape after it was proved he had sex with a woman he knew could not give consent due to her medical condition.
On August 6, 2023, the victim was at Anderson’s house and recalled being cold and feeling strange as a migraine seizure was coming on.
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The victim says she did not remember much of the attack, but was aware Anderson was having sex with her and she was unable to consent due to her body being frozen.
Due to the seizure, she lacked any energy and it was only after speaking with a close family member that she had challenged him.
Confronting Anderson, she said “You raped me” to which he responded “Yeah good!”.
This was reported to police on the same day and medical records were collected which proved she suffered from severe migraines, which had on occasions led to loss of consciousness.
Anderson claimed the victim had never been formally diagnosed with a medical condition, questioning the legitimacy of her claims.
But in a number of text messages he referenced her seizures and was aware of her previous episodes.
Officers went through months of messages between the two, including malicious texts, where Anderson insulted, belittled and degraded the victim.
In an impact statement, the victim said: “It’s hard to know where to start with how my life has been impacted.
“The nightmares are so realistic, reliving the moment - that moment I opened my eyes and he was on top of me. I’d wake up crying then start panicking.
“Scared to sleep, scared to be awake. I have not only had my dignity stolen, my soul has been stolen, being used as a piece of meat to satisfy his sick sexual needs.
“The fear has constantly got me to the point of feeling suicidal. Lack of sleep and constant fear and anxiety brings my seizures on, the very thing that enabled him.
“The reality is, wherever I go, what happened to me is always there in my head. I am not the same person I once was. I can’t go out on my own as I am always looking over my shoulder.
“I used to be so confident, fiery and full of life, now I am just an empty shell.”
Anderson was previously convicted of one count of rape and one count of assault at Wood Green Crown Court on February 9.
The assault charge relates to an incident at a bus stop on Victoria Park Road on May 30 last year when two members of the public had to intervene after Anderson threw a bag of clothes at the victim and became verbally aggressive.
He received a three-month sentence for the attack, to run concurrently.
Detective Constable Daniel Neville, who led the investigation, said: “This man took advantage of the victim knowing full well that she was vulnerable and could not consent due to her medical condition.
“Anderson claimed he had engaged in consensual sex, but the wealth of evidence we presented to the courts meant his lies were uncovered.”
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