Cornwall man jailed after raping woman as she slept

A Cornwall man has been jailed again after raping a woman while she slept at a hotel. Ian Foster appeared at Wood Green Crown Court on Tuesday (July 16) after a jury found him guilty of rape on April 26 this year, following a trial.

The court heard the victim, in her 30s, was known to the suspect. They attended a hotel in Edmonton in North London on January 17, 2020. A heated argument ensued in the hotel room between the two, where Foster, aged 41 and of no fixed abode, displayed sexual jealousy.

Following the argument, Foster - who previously lived in Torpoint - and the woman went to sleep. It was in the early hours of the morning on January 18, Foster raped the victim while she slept. Officers attended the hotel later that morning after receiving a concerned phone call from the victim’s mother following the argument.

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However, the victim did not disclose to officers that she had been raped because she was scared and just wanted to go home – her parents were en-route to collect her.

In the early hours of January 19, once the victim was safely home, she reported the incident to police via her friend and detectives from the North Area’s Public Protection team launched an investigation.

The victim was supported by specially trained sexual offence officers in her own force area of Devon and Cornwall on behalf of the Metropolitan Police.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "Foster was circulated as wanted and was arrested in Devon on the afternoon of 19 January on suspicion of rape. He was recalled to prison in breach of his licence conditions following his conviction for two rapes in 2012 at Truro Crown Court. He had been released on licence in 2017."

He was subsequently charged on January 31, 2023 after an extensive investigation, which included taking witness accounts from hotel staff and family and friends of the victim and reviewing CCTV of the pair in the public areas of the hotel from check-in to check-out.

This showed Foster following the victim around like a ‘puppy dog’ and trying to ‘reason with her’ in the foyer on January 18 following the rape.

Officers reviewed hundreds of communications on their phones, which highlighted Foster's sexual jealously. There was also a message on January 18 with Foster saying he was unsure why he committed the act after he was challenged by the victim who said: "What go through ur head to have sex with someone when they are not even awake?"

The judge in the case sentenced Foster to to 16 years imprisonment. He was also given a restraining order preventing him from directly or indirectly contacting the victim.

Detective Sergeant Myles Bossman, from the North Area’s Public Protection team, who led the investigation, said: "Foster is a highly dangerous individual, as reflected by his sentence, who has now been convicted of rape on two separate occasions. Foster appears enraged by sexual jealousy and insecurity, and chose to attack the woman when she was at her most vulnerable as she slept. Foster has showed zero remorse for his actions.

"Thanks to the years of hard work by the North Area’s Public Protection team, Foster is now back behind bars. We were committed to gathering enough evidence to ensure the victim got the justice she deserved.

"With the support of her family and friends, the victim showed immense courage and bravery in supporting a police investigation. I would like to thank the victim for her strength, and the many witnesses who provided evidence.

"This sentencing shows that such violence against women will not be tolerated and those who commit such offences will be dealt with robustly.

"I would encourage anyone who is a victim or witness to sexual assault to contact police immediately where you can access support from specially trained officers."