Southampton park rape victim recalls assault as attacker jailed

A rape victim has described how the experience "destroyed" her family life as her attacker was jailed.

The then-19-year-old woman was assaulted by Rosario Dos Reis in Southampton city centre on 19 February.

Reis, 28, admitted rape part-way through his trial at Southampton Crown Court and has now been sentenced to eight years and four months in prison.

Oliva, not her real name, recalled being "very vulnerable" at the time of the attack in Palmerston Park.

She told the BBC she had gone for a walk shortly before 07:00 GMT on that Sunday to try and sober up after a night out.

Reis was approached by Olivia when she asked him the time. He then took her into the park and raped her minutes later.

"I was really scared, frightened. I could barely even stand up at this point," she said.

"There was no use, no point trying to run away because he had me gripped anyway, on my arms.

"I had a really bad feeling. There was a part of me that was like, 'this is not looking good'.

"I was very drunk at that time - very vulnerable. I was passing out during it."

While there were other people around at the time, most "just walked past, looked over and ignored it", she said.

One witness, a nurse on her way to work, did intervene.

The woman, who did not wish to be identified, recalled how "something didn't sit right" when she saw Oliva and Reis in some bushes.

"It was scary to approach because I didn't know how he was going to react," she said. "I didn't know if he had a weapon on him.

"But the one thing I thought about that morning was 'if it was me, I would want someone to stop'."

She called out and saw Oliva mouthing "help", prompting her to call 999.

"He just walked off - he didn't even run, so I was really quite shocked. She ran over to me and just literally clung to me for ages until the police got there," she said.

Guided by city centre CCTV, police arrested Reis at Southampton Coach Station within an hour.

PC Nykole Hamilton, part of Hampshire's dedicated rape and serious sexual offences (Rasso) unit, was deployed to the scene to support Olivia and begin to gather evidence.

"I don't think anything had sunk in for her at all," she sad.

Nykole took Olivia to Portsmouth's sexual assault referral centre.

"For someone that has never been through that process or understands that process, it's really scary," the officer added.

"I think she was so overwhelmed, she wasn't actually able to go through it on the day."

Persuading rape victims like Olivia to stick with an investigation - through the months or even years it can take to get offenders to court - is not easy.

The prospect of giving evidence in front of jury is something many victims find daunting.

Det Const Laura Cook said: "It has been, in the past, extremely difficult to get some of these cases to successful convictions, but I think we're getting more cases charged and confidence is growing and I think that culture is changing."

The latest available official figures show between April and December 2022 there were about 50,000 rape offences recorded by police in England and Wales.

Of these, about 900 (less than 2%) had yet resulted in a charge or court summons.

Reis, of St Mary's Street, Southampton who was originally from East Timor, was charged with rape and pleaded guilty on the second day of a trial in July.

He was also accused of two counts of assault by penetration, sexual assault and attempted rape which will lie on file.

Olivia's victim impact statement read out in court said the attack had "destroyed my family life".

"I no longer feel safe walking alone," she added.

Passing sentence, Judge Christopher Parker said Reis "took advantage" of his victim.

"You were looking for somebody in the position of the victim who could not resist," he said.

Reis received a sentence of eight years and four months, plus six years extended licence period, with the judge adding there was a "strong likelihood" he would be deported.

PC Hamilton paid tribute to Olivia's role in securing the conviction.

"The last time she saw him he had the power," she said. "This time, she's had the power.

"Without the bravery of people going to court, then these people are still going to be on the streets."

Olivia said: "It was very scary, but there was plenty of support around me.

"It would have been a lot harder not to do something about it ... I would have been stuck with that feeling of guilt of not reporting it in case there was another girl.

"It was all completely worth it. He's not seeing the light of day for a long time."

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