Man found guilty of bus fare rape

A MAN has been convicted of raping a young woman who had been thrown off her last bus home because she was 20p short of the fare.

Joseph Moran, 19, was found guilty by a jury at Nottingham Crown Court of rape and wounding with intent to cause GBH, police said.

The court heard the woman had been out with friends in the city on December 9 last year for an early Christmas celebration.

It was told she only had £4.80 to pay the £5 fare to Mansfield. The driver would not waive the 20p nor wait for her to visit an ATM opposite the bus stop.

She began walking along Mansfield Road out of the city where she had arranged to be collected by her mother.

But as she approached the entrance to Forest Recreation Ground she was grabbed by Moran, of Sneinton, and dragged into the park where he subjected her to what the jury heard was an appalling and protracted attack.

She was found by police officers just after 4am, unconscious, and having suffered terrible injuries.

Detective Chief Inspector Rob Griffin, who was in charge of the investigation, described Moran as “a singularly depraved and highly dangerous individual who committed a grotesque and extremely violent crime”.

“A thorough police investigation and a courageous victim have ensured that he has been taken off the streets and no longer poses a risk to other women,” he added.

Moran will appear at the crown court on July 27 for sentencing.