Southampton man jailed for rape

A Southampton man was jailed today, 2 February, following a case heard at Southampton Crown Court. This was for the rape of a woman back in early 2017.

Having initially pleaded not guilty, 41 year old Shane Truckle of New Road in Netley Abbey was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison. This comes after he was found guilty by a jury in December 2022.

In court, it was heard how the victim had returned to stay at a friend’s house after a night out in February 2017. The female, in her 30s woke up to Truckle having sex with her, without her consent.

Great bravery from the victim coupled with investigative work from relevant authorities eventually led to Truckle being charged for one count of rape in June 2021.

In a victim impact statement read at court, the woman involved described how the incident impacted her relationships and her mental health. She said;

“I don’t like to go out for a meal and if I see people that look like him then I go into a panic. Whenever I go out somewhere I feel I am looking for him. I have nightmares, the re-occurring dreams of what happened.”

After the sentencing, via a statement issued online,  Detective Sergeant Claire Grant, the officer in charge of the case, said;

“This crime has had a lasting impact on the victim, and her life.

“It takes great courage for people to come forward and speak to us about incidents of this nature, and that should never be underestimated. I hope this case goes to show that regardless of how long ago a rape happened, we will work tirelessly to target perpetrators and provide specialist support to survivors.

“We want our communities to know that we stand with them, and will do all in our power to bring the offenders of these horrendous crimes to justice.”

We know stories like this are difficult to read, but what often comes through is the strength that it takes for victims to come forward. As always, we’d urge people to report crimes of any type to the police via 101 or online. If there is any immediate danger, 999 should be called.