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Anthony Laine, 30 years old, sexually assaulted a woman near the River Severn in Bewdley, Worcestershire in summer last year. Laine raped her twice, according to Metro.
Laine allegedly attacked the woman that left her with a “floating face,” which refers to that condition when the front layer of the face became detached from the skull.
Laine pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent. He was sentenced to twelve years in prison at Worcester Crown Court.
The woman said through a recorded video statement, “It’s ruined my life. I come across as a strong person. I’m not really. I’m looking at lots more operations, lots more time in hospital.”
She continued, “I’m in constant pain. I can’t eat properly. I have to eat soft food. I can’t chew anything at all. I can’t eat meat or even toast. I can’t open my mouth to yawn. I’m still alive, that’s the only thing. I’m fed up with the pain. That’s what gets me down more than anything.”
Prosecutor Timothy Sapwell told the court that the victim suffered a cut down the middle of her forehead that measured to about four inches. There was also a v-shaped cut on both her right and left eyes.
Due to the damage, her eyes were swollen shut and had to be cut open through the eyelids to open us pressure. After having a CT scan at the hospital, the victim was discovered to have serious underlying fractures to her face called, “Le Fort Fractures.”
The victim’s surgery to fix her injuries took about nine and a half hours. The operation included bone grafts to repair her nose, which the surgeons had to use parts of her skull to fix.
Sapwell said, “The front of the face was completely detached from the skull and smashed in two. It’s described in medical terms as floating face.”
The victim said, “Words can’t express how scared I am. The court heard Laine was seen by a witness running from the scene and sustained injuries to his hands in the attack. But he claimed in a police interview he had ‘only punched her four or five times.”
Judge Daniel Pearce-Higgins QC stated, “There is a significant risk of the defendant causing serious harm to members of the public, particularly women.”
Laine was sentenced to twelve years in prison. There’s also an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order placed against him.
