A RAPIST shook with fear in the dock after a jury convicted him of attacking a woman.

Heine Esterhuizen was unable to hide his emotions as Judge Samantha Cohen handed him a six year prison sentence.

The 25-year-old of Royal Mews, Southend, was unanimously convicted by a jury of six men and women of three counts of rape following the attack on the woman in Southend in 2017.

He was acquitted of causing the woman actual bodily harm.

During the trial at Basildon Crown Court the victim said that Esterhuizen, who is originally from South Africa, feared he would be deported if she reported the rape.

The woman claimed he pushed her down onto a bed and raped her, despite her trying to resist.

Judge Samantha Cohen told Esterhuizen: “You wanted sex and she did not.

“You decided you would have sex with her whether she liked it or not.

“The next morning you tried to pretend that nothing happened.”

Echo:

Heine Esterhuizen

The court heard that Esterhuizen had tried to prevent the woman reporting the incident.

Judge Cohen said Esterhuizen’s defence had been “frankly ludicrous” citing that he asked her to take the morning after pill following the incident.

Mitigating, Sarah Ellis said Esterhuizen will likely face deportation after his sentence and his family have been left devastated.

She said: “They came to this country in 2014 to escape violence in South Africa, a number of friends had been murdered.

“He is a little short of terrified of going to prison.

“He will face deportation on release, the family have nothing in South Africa.

“He’s had it hanging over him and his parents who have lived through this.”

Ms Ellis added that Esterhuizen’s life was now “in ruins”.

The victim previously said that she “couldn’t get the rape out of her head” and that she still has nightmares from the incident.

Judge Cohen added: “She still found the experience of giving evidence very upsetting.

“You were very immature at the time that this happened.”

The judge jailed Esterhuizen for six years and nine months.