Alex Patel-Wills described selling Class A drugs as a ‘social service’
A former student of the University of Sussex has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for raping and sexually assaulting five women.
Alex Patel-Wills had previously claimed to be “irresistible” to the opposite sex and described dealing Class A drugs to other students as a “social service”.
During the sentencing at Lewes Crown Court, the judge said the 26-year-old showed not even the “slightest remorse” towards his victims, which include four fellow students and another woman he raped while studying in Brighton.
The former Sussex student was charged with rape at Lewes Crown Court.
One attack occurred when Patel-While was already on police bail and under investigation by Sussex University for another rape allegation.
Patel-Wills used drug dealing as an excuse to make contact with vulnerable women. He would then give the women drugs and alcohol before assaulting them in student accommodation, the court heard.
According to Sussex Police, the assaults took place on the university’s campus, as well as at his home in Brighton, and in London.
Judge Christine Laing KC told him: “Sexual activity with women who are asleep or unconscious seem to be a predilection of yours”.
via Wikimedia Commons
A victim of Patel-Wills said she no longer feels “safe in [her] own body or in the world around [her]” and “the trauma lives everywhere in [her]”.
The former Sussex student was charged with four rapes, two sexual assaults and one assault by penetration. He will serve 19 years in custody and a further six on extended licence.
A University of Sussex Spokesperson said the university “condemns all forms of sexual violence, rape and abuse of women and is committed to providing a safe and respectful environment on our campus”.
They also said a new independent review had been commissioned to ensure its “safeguarding and reporting arrangements remain robust, effective, and aligned with current best practice.”
Detective Constable Vicki Blythe of the Sussex Police said: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to these brave women for reporting Alex Patel-Wills’ crimes to the police and helping us put him behind bars.
“Every perpetrator brought to justice makes Sussex a safer place for women and girls, and we will continue to work hard to prevent offending, hold offenders to account and support victims.
“Sussex Police is committed to supporting victims of sexual offending and doing all we can to secure the justice they deserve. If you are a victim of sexual offending, please report to us in confidence online, via 101 or by calling 999 in an emergency.”
Featured image via Sussex Police and Wikimedia Commons
If you are affected by any issues raised in the article or would like someone to speak to, please call or text 988 to reach out and speak to a counsellor. You can reach the Crisis Text Line by sending the letters MHA to 741741 or call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room if you’re struggling or in crisis.
You can contact the Samaritans for free on 116 123. You can also email them at [email protected] or visit Samaritans – Here to listen to find your nearest branch in the UK. You can text SHOUT to 85258 for help, or text YM if you’re under the age of 19. If you’re under 19 you can also call Childline on 0800 1111, and this number won’t appear on your phone bill.
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