A violent rapist who stabbed his victim in the stomach has been jailed after a crucial piece of evidence – his own GPS monitoring tag – placed him definitively at the scene of the crime.
A Predatory Attack in Benfleet
Kyle Pauley, aged 24, launched what has been described as an ‘utterly overwhelming attack’ on a lone woman in a field in Benfleet, Essex. The assault occurred at around 11pm on Monday, September 22, last year.
The court heard how Pauley followed the woman, threatened her with a knife, and forced her to comply with his demands. He then took her to a nearby field where he raped her. When the brave victim tried to fight back and push him away, Pauley responded by stabbing her in the abdomen. Fortunately, the stab wound was not life-threatening.
After Pauley fled, the woman managed to get home and immediately contacted the emergency services. Essex Police officers arrested Pauley within just one hour of her call.
The Damning Evidence That Secured a Conviction
Multiple strands of evidence built an irrefutable case against Pauley. Crucially, he was wearing a GPS electronic tag as a condition of his licence, having been recently released from prison for drug dealing. The data from this tag conclusively placed him at the location of the assault.
CCTV footage also captured Pauley following the victim prior to the attack. During a search, police recovered the knife he had used, which he had attempted to discard. The victim’s glasses, knocked off during the struggle, were also found at the scene.
Faced with the overwhelming proof, Pauley, of Brook Road in Benfleet, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and possession of a knife in a public place.
Lasting Trauma and a Lengthy Sentence
In a powerful victim impact statement, the woman described the profound and ongoing effect of the attack. She said she is now far more anxious, struggles with concentration at work, and often retreats to her bedroom at home. “It is all about that night - I can’t move forward and don’t feel normal. I don’t know if I will again,” she stated. “I will always be scared of him.”
Her father spoke of the family’s anguish, saying the feeling of being unable to protect his daughter had left him “emotionally and mentally exhausted”. He directly addressed Pauley in court, expressing hope he would use his time in prison to become a better person.
At Chelmsford Crown Court, Kyle Pauley was sentenced to a total of 19 years in custody. He must serve 12 years behind bars, with the remaining seven years on licence in the community.
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Lydia George praised the victim’s “strength, courage and bravery”, which helped take a “dangerous and predatory criminal” off the streets. She emphasised that Essex Police take all incidents of violence against women and girls extremely seriously and urged victims to come forward with confidence.
