"YOU are a bully - you are a narcissist."
Those were the words of Judge HMS Darren Preston as he sent rapist John Crawford to prison for 12 years.
The 35-year-old former marine, of St Vincent Street, Barrow, received the sentence for raping one woman in North Yorkshire and sexually assaulting another in a later incident.
Crawford forced himself on the first woman before he was due to go on tour, Preston Crown Court heard.
In the second incident, he broke into the home of a woman who was in bed with another man. He assaulted the man, pulled down the leggings of the woman and violated her.
Crawford received consecutive sentences of five years for the rape of one woman and seven years for assault by penetration of another.
He was also sentenced for committing an offence with intent to commit sexual violence, sexual assault and common assault. He will spend at least two-thirds of his 12-year sentence in prison, with the remaining time on licence. The judge said he factored in prison overcrowding into the sentence.
Crawford will be subject to the sex offenders register for life.
READ MORE: John Crawford, of Barrow, jailed for 12 years
The judge gave Crawford more time for the sexual assault because of the severe psychological impact it had on the survivor. In a video witness statement, she said that she attempted suicide and had depression and post-traumatic stress disorder from the incident. In the video, the officer said that it was her third attempt at giving a statement that day.
Crawford received positive character references from a colleague in the Marines, and from his family members. He had a previously unblemished criminal record and his defence raised examples of him contributing to jobs when he reached prison. The defence called him ‘a man of previous good character.’
This did little to deter the judge. In response to the defence barrister, he said: “He could see absolutely nothing wrong with what he did. He thought it was perfectly reasonable.”
In his sentencing remarks, the judge referenced the sexual assault.
He said: "You spoke about this woman in the most self-pitying manner, presenting yourself as the victim in all this.
“You don’t feel you can do any wrong. You do not have any compassion at all.”
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