A man has been sentenced to life with a minimum of 12 years at Winchester Crown Court for kidnapping and raping a woman at knifepoint in Salisbury.

Lewis Young, aged 28 and from Havant, pleaded guilty to kidnap, rape, assault by penetration, possession of a knife, dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified.

In what has been described as a monstrous attack on a stranger, Young admitted he had planned to kidnap and rape a woman so that he would be returned to prison.

He targeted the victim as she was getting into her car in an underground car park in Bournemouth during the early evening of April 12, 2022.

Young forced his way into the woman’s car and drove her to a location in Salisbury.

When they eventually stopped, he attacked the woman before she was able to escape and call the police.

Sarah Perkins, CPS Wessex Senior Crown Prosecutor, said: “This was a truly shocking case in which Lewis Young subjected the victim to a terrifying and horrific ordeal.

“Working collaboratively with Wiltshire police from the outset, we identified actions to take so that we could put a strong prosecution case before the court in a short space of time.

“This joint approach resulted in guilty pleas, saving the victim the additional burden of waiting for, and going through, a trial.

Ms Perkins added: “We hope that the victim, who has shown tremendous courage throughout the criminal justice process, will feel that justice has been delivered today.

“We also hope the outcome brings her a small sense of comfort as she continues to rebuild her life following such a dreadful experience.”

The breakdown of the sentence was:

  • Kidnap: life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years.
  • Having an article with a blade or point: 12 months imprisonment concurrent
  • Dangerous driving: 14 months imprisonment concurrent, disqualified from driving indefinitely
  • Driving whilst disqualified: four months imprisonment concurrent, disqualified from driving indefinitely
  • Assault by penetration: 10 years imprisonment concurrent
  • Rape: life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years.