Man jailed for rape and assault

A 20-year-old man has been sentenced to a total of nine years in prison plus four years on extended licence for the rape and assault of a young girl along with a string of other offences.

Kenton Quinn, aged 18 at the time of the offences, from Middlesbrough, punched a 17-year-old girl in the face and raped her in August 2021.

Officers investigating the offences praised the woman for her bravery in coming forward.

Detective Constable Steven Neale said: “Firstly I would like to thank the victim in this case for coming forward and having the courage to report these incidents and provide evidence to put Quinn before the courts.

“We will always take these incidents extremely seriously and I hope the sentence handed to Quinn will hopefully provide some comfort to the victim, who must have been left traumatised by what happened.

“There is specialist support available to anyone who has been a victim of offences such as these and we will always strive to put offenders before the courts and bring them to justice for these crimes.”

Quinn was also sentenced for possession of a weapon, two counts of possession with intent to supply Class C drugs, possession of criminal property, conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and affray in relation to separate incidents.