A 38-year-old man, Louis Charles Cann, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for a shocking series of rapes targeting two women across Portsmouth and Gosport. Cann, from Rampart Row, Gosport, received 20 years behind bars plus a 5-year extended licence.
Cann was convicted at Salisbury Crown Court of nine counts of rape following a trial that began in May 2024. The assaults took place between February and December 2022, and disturbingly, both victims were known to him.
The court heard chilling evidence, including footage showing one victim being raped while asleep. The other woman suffered verbal abuse, threats, and physical assault after rejecting Cann’s sexual advances.
At sentencing on August 22, His Honour Judge Adam Feest KC condemned Cann’s actions, describing the attacks as involving “humiliation, degradation, blackmail, and manipulation.” The judge highlighted the lasting trauma, noting that one victim was treated “like a rag doll.”
Cann was also issued a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order and must register as a sex offender for life.
Detective Sergeant Samantha Brown from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s specialist sexual offences team praised the victims’ bravery. She stated: “These women were degraded, manipulated, and assaulted in the most appalling way. Nonetheless, they have shown incredible courage in standing up to this cowardly individual.”
DS Brown urged other survivors of sexual violence to come forward, assuring them: “You will be believed, and we will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
