A MAN from Gwynedd who raped a woman has been jailed.

Liam Vaughan, 25, of High Street, Pwllheli, was sentenced to three years and nine months’ imprisonment at Mold Crown Court today (August 6).

Vaughan also sexually assaulted a woman in a separate incident, and pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to charges of rape and sexual assault.

READ MORE:

Anglesey man strangled ex and ‘held hostage’ friend in stolen van

Search for Gwynedd man wanted for ‘several serious offences’

The sexual assault, which happened while the victim was asleep, occurred in May 2018.

The victim of the rape, which took place in January 2021, was also asleep at the time of the incident.

When the victim of the rape awoke, she asked Vaughan: “What the f*** are you doing?” and told him to “get away from me, you freak”.

She also recalled Vaughan hitting her, causing her to fall to the floor.

Police were contacted, and Vaughan was arrested; when interviewed, he said he had been drinking alcohol, and accepted hitting the woman because he had “lost his temper”.

Traces of Vaughan’s DNA were later found on the woman’s clothes.

Defending Vaughan, who had no previous convictions but two reprimands on his record, Richard Edwards said his client “grew up with alcohol and illicit substances being a normal part of daily life”.

At the time of the offences, Mr Edwards said, Vaughan was drinking alcohol excessively and consuming cannabis.

But, he added, Vaughan’s “life has changed” since these offences, with numerous references made on his behalf which “perhaps present a very different side of his character”.

Sentencing, Judge Nicola Saffman said Vaughan was an “immature” and “damaged” individual at the time of his offending.

He will adhere to sex offenders register notification requirements for an indefinite period of time.

Vaughan will pay a statutory surcharge within six months of his release from prison.