Paul Dyne sentenced for historic rape in Deal

07/07/2010

A man who raped a teenager as she was walking home in Deal was sentenced to 8 years' imprisonment at Maidstone Crown Court today 24 years after the attack.

Paul Dyne was caught through his DNA after original evidence was re-examined as part of Kent Police's cold case review. He had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing on 14th May at Maidstone Crown Court. He has been placed on the sex offender's register for life.

The victim, who was 18 years of age at the time, was attacked by a stranger. Paul Dyne grabbed her from behind without warning as she walked along College Road in Deal during the evening of 14th February 1986. He told her he had a knife and dragged her to waste ground where he raped her.

Crown Advocate Simon Ringrose said:

"This was a violent rape and the victim has had to live with Dyne's actions for a very long time. In the years that have followed she has been worried about going out alone and struggled to come to terms with what happened to her.

"Paul Dyne's guilty plea demonstrates the compelling case we had against him. The chances of the DNA being attributable to someone other than him is in the region of one in a billion. In addition to this evidence it was established that at the time of the attack he lived in College Road, Deal.

"Rape is an appalling crime that shatters lives. People who commit these horrific offences need to know that these cases are never closed. They will be brought to justice by advances in technology and by the determination of the criminal justice system."