Rapist jailed for 24 years for 1996 attack

THORNTON HEATH
A rapist who boasted in court of his connections to Leonardo DiCaprio and Natalie Imbruglia was jailed for 24 years today (Fri) attacking a mother-of-two twenty years ago.
Californian Pierre Bate, 42, broke into the victim’s home in Thornton Heath, south London, in 1996 while her two children were sleeping.
He put on a fake Irish accent as he threatened to kill the woman and harm her children before repeatedly assaulting her over several hours.
Bate told her an armed accomplice was waiting in the room with he children to terrify her into submission.
He tied his victim to the bed, forced the duvet over her head and poured cold water over her body during the horrific ordeal.
Bate was linked to the attack in 2011 after improvements in DNA technology found a match to his profile.
He was extradited from the US earlier this year to stand trial at Southwark Crown Court in London but insisted he was the victim of a ‘perfect storm’.
Bate bragged of supposed links to Hollywood and even brought former Jamiroquai drummer Nick Van Gelder to give evidence.
Mr Van Gelder appeared to support Bate’s claims that they had partied with Oscar-winning star DiCaprio.
Bate also told jurors that he had previously dated songstress Natalie Imbruglia – though the truth of this has not been confirmed.
The jury were not swayed by his claims and convicted him of eight counts of rape and one of burglary.
Jailing Bate for 24 years Judge Jeffrey Pegden QC said ‘You completely ruined the life of this young woman’.
‘It’s plain to me you had been watching your victim in the weeks before this offence.
‘You had entered her home when she was not there, taking a photo and leaving a knife by her bed – a bizarre prelude to this offence.’
‘Indeed you knew her partner was away from home that night.’
‘You had in my judgement stalked your victim as a sexual predator, awaiting your opportunity to have your way with her in the depths of the night. You intended to rape her when you entered her house.
‘You’re culpability is of the highest order as this offence clearly required a significant degree of planning.’
He continued: ‘This offence was committed in the victim’s own home and her children were present.
‘Although they were asleep, they could have woken at any moment to see their mother suffering a violent and prolonged sexual assault.’
‘It’s difficult to imagine more serious offending of this type or of more serious consequences to the victim.’
‘You completely ruined the life of this young woman for your own bizarre sexual pleasures.’
‘I do not regard the passage of time since this 1996 and the absence of further offending as a mitigating factor in your case.’
The victim was forced to leave her home after the attack, the court heard, and has never been able to have another relationship with a man since. She had to bring up her children alone.
The court heard how Bate had a previous conviction for an indecent assault in 1995, where he had climbed in through a woman’s bedroom window and lay on top of her masturbating until she was able to scream for help.
Bate was extradited to the UK for that offence, and served 26 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of indecent assault and one of burglary.
The victim said in an impact statement: ‘I was numb, vacant, scared and angry.
‘It has been 20 years of insomnia – sleep deprivation is torture.
‘It has changed me as a person – I was always happy, outgoing and had plans but since this I have become a recluse.
‘This man has ruined my life and the lives of my children for the last 20 years.
‘I have never felt safe or relaxed since the day this man chose to rape me and assault me.’
Bate was 22 years old and lived about 100 yards away at the time of the attack on 22 July 1996..
James Dawes, prosecuting, said: ‘Twenty years ago now on July 22nd 1996 a violent and brutal rape was committed by a burglar, a house burglar, on a woman who was asleep in her home.
‘It was terrifying – the rapist broke into her house at night and raped her repeatedly in different ways.
‘Her children were asleep in the house.
‘About 1.15am she rolled over, half asleep, and sensed that something was wrong in the room.
‘She opened her eyes and saw a man squatting on her make-up counter, right next to her bed.
‘He was a stranger to her and he turned his head and he looked straight at her.’
The woman tried to grab the knife but Bate was too quick and her ‘pinned her arms down and tried to twist her head away so she couldn’t see his face’.
Bate told the woman: ‘My mate is in the room with the kids so just do what I am telling you to do.’
He then repeatedly raped the victim but refused to answer when she asked why it was happening.
At one point he told her: ‘I would love to have this conversation but I can’t, my pet. If it had been in different circumstances.’
Bate was finally linked to the attack after a further sample taken from the scene was tested as part of routine procedure for unsolved cases.
‘It was compared against the reference sample for Pierre Bate and there was a direct match with Mr Bate,’ said Mr Dawes.
In the opinion of the scientist it is one billion times more likely that the person who put that semen there was Pierre Bate.’
Bate, who was forced to represent himself, complained he had only been given four months to prepare his case and had been abandoned by his original legal team.
He said: ‘After being taken advantage of, after taking thousands of my family’s hard earned money, the solicitors ran off with my money.’
‘I was given two days in a prison cell to prepare a complex and historical case. I have  been made out to be a monster – the lies and circumstances don’t make for the facts.’
Bate, who was extradited from the US, was convicted of eight counts of rape and one of burglary and jailed for 24 years.