A mother was subjected to a terrifying sex attack by a complete stranger she woke to find lurking in her home.
Benjamin Guiver, 34, snuck into the woman’s house after she fell asleep in front of the television on May 24 this year.
When the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, asked who he was, he replied: ‘Don’t ask any questions or I’ll kill you’.
She then tried to escape barefoot while screaming ‘help me, help me’, but Guiver punched her and pulled her back inside the property in Goodwick, Wales, by the hair.
Guiver sexually assaulted the woman, banged her head against a radiator and throttled her, all whilst threatening ‘you’re going blue, I’m going to kill you’.
He was today jailed for 20 years after pleading guilty to causing GBH with intent, trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence, assault by penetration and intentional strangulation on July 10.
Swansea Crown Court heard the horror attack unfolded just before 10.30pm on May 24 as the victim waited for her partner to come home.
She lost several teeth and suffered significant bruising to her body, with the ordeal only ending when Guiver was interrupted by the woman’s son.
Guiver tried to escape through a window but was later tracked down by police close to the house.
It was later established that the 34-year-old had attempted to enter another property nearby a short while earlier.
The victim revealed in an interview that she didn’t think she would survive the assault, but that two family members returned home and disturbed the attacker.
In a written statement, she described herself as ‘a shell of her former self’, constantly feeling ‘lost, unsafe and on edge’.
She wrote: ‘I feel as though my life has been turned upside down. I no longer feel safe in my own home which is a feeling I have never experienced before.
‘I’ve always been confident and independent, however, that has now been viciously ripped away from me.
‘I want so desperately to go back to some kind of normality with my life, however, I know that what has happened is going to continue to haunt me for the rest of my life.’
Described as a ‘violent and dangerous offender’ by the judge, Guiver was sentenced to 20 years in prison at Swansea Crown Court on Thursday, October 31.
Following sentencing, detective chief inspector Matthew Briggs from Dyfed-Powys Police said: ‘The victim in this case has shown immense courage throughout the investigation, and I commend her for that.
‘Suffering such an attack in your own home is unimaginable, and – as she detailed in her statement – has impacted every aspect of her life.
‘Despite this, she has demonstrated her strength of character every step of the way and worked alongside officers to ensure justice prevailed.
‘I would also like to highlight the actions of her relative who intervened during the assault, putting their own safety at risk to ensure further harm was not caused.’
Speaking of the moment the woman was rescued, DCI Briggs added: ‘She was clearly badly injured, and was incredibly distressed, but at that point we weren’t aware of the extent of the ordeal she had been put through.
‘Our focus was on prioritising her care with the help of paramedics, and getting officers out on the street to find the suspect.
‘Shortly after officers arrived at scene, a man by the name of Benjamin Guiver was arrested not far from the house.’
