Jailed: 'Spiteful' thug raped and assaulted woman before trying to burn down her house
A 'spiteful' man terrorised a woman, attacking her and trying to burn down her house, a court heard.
Parminder Sund, 39, has been given an eight-year jail sentence after a jury found him guilty of rape and assault against the woman, as well as arson, being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.
His campaign of terror against the woman took place in 2019. Shrewsbury Crown Court heard that he attacked her and raped her in her own home in May, when he "would not take no for an answer".
Then a month later he attacked her again, hitting her in the face and causing her tooth pain.
It culminated on July 31 last year, when he set fire to the house she lived at, while she was not there. It even spread to a nearby house, although the family was out at the time.
Sund was arrested last summer and has been in custody since. He denied all three charges and his trial took place at Shrewsbury Crown Court. The jury unanimously found him guilty on all counts.
Serious
Mr Philip Beardwell, who represented Sund, spoke after the verdict, saying that the only "glimmer of light" from the case was that the affected homes have since been restored, though he accepted that the effects on the victims would take much longer to heal.
He said that Sund had been going through a "difficult time" in terms of his mental health but said that it in no way excused his behaviour.
Judge Peter Barrie, who heard the case, said: "You would not accept... or understand what was going on from her point of view.
"It is clear that she did not want this difficult period to include sexual relations with you, and you wouldn't take no for an answer."
He called the defendant "spiteful" and said that his actions had caused his victims "very serious consequences".
Sund, of no fixed address, was sentenced to five years for the rape and three years to run consecutively for the arson attack. For the assault by beating, he also received a concurrent sentence of 20 weeks.
He will be placed on the sex offender register.
Shropshire’s Protecting Vulnerable People Detective Inspector Mat Crisp welcomed the sentence.
He said: “Officers work diligently to ensure those who cause harm are put before the courts and I’m pleased this has resulted in a significant sentence that will see a dangerous individual in prison for some time.”
