A MAN who repeatedly harassed, manipulated and threatened a girl before raping her – leaving the victim with profound and lasting psychological trauma – has been sent to prison for 12 years.
54-year-old Simon Paul de la Haye had been found guilty of raping the woman more than two decades ago at the end of a trial in October.
The victim, who was a teenager at the time and still at school, became pregnant as a result of the rape but miscarried the baby, which caused further deep emotional pain.
De la Haye – who had previously served a nine-year sentence for rape from 1995 and had been released for less than two years before raping again in the early 2000s – refused to attend yesterday’s sentencing, either in person or via videolink from La Moye Prison.
In court, his victim read out a powerful and deeply personal statement, sharing publicly the struggles she had endured since the rape more than two decades ago, including post-traumatic stress and debilitating hypervigilance.
This meant that, to this day, she still could not walk in the dark by herself and had to go to bed with the television on to try to block out outside noises.
She said that, with her family’s support and professional help, she had sought to rebuild her life.
However, she said: “While having spent thousands of pounds and hours of time in therapy and having taken multiple bouts of medications just trying to get through each day, when I saw Simon Paul de la Haye again [during the trial], it went.
“While he is guilty of all that he has done and I am relieved and grateful for the verdict, he is not the evil monster lurking in the shadows, he is not scary to me anymore, and standing and facing him, and being allowed to show him that, has changed by life beyond measure.”
The victim continued: “At some point every single day for more than 20 years, a memory has triggered part of what happened and brought it all back, through this I have served a life sentence for what he did, and I will continue to do so.
“While I wish him no harm, I believe that he should serve his time too and I want to play any part I can in helping to make that happen.”
Setting out the facts of the case, Crown Advocate Emma Hollywood said that de la Haye and the victim had been in a brief relationship, but he had soon demonstrated escalating controlling and manipulative behaviour, which had included stalking her, incorrect accusations of infidelity, and threats to harm her, her family, her friends and himself.
This led the victim to be in a heightened state of abject fear and vulnerability. Immediately before the rape, he had lulled her into a false sense of security by asking her around to his flat in a soft and contrite manner to end the relationship and have ‘one last cuddle.’
But instead, he raped the victim – pinning her down violently despite her telling him multiple times to stop.
Defending the absent de la Haye, Advocate Adam Harrison, argued that the Crown’s recommended 11-year sentence was ‘somewhat too high’. He said that although the victim had been a child in law, she had been above the age of sexual consent.
“This is not a case of removal of innocence or corruption of trust,” he said, adding that Court should not regard the coercive and controlling behaviour in the weeks leading up to the rape as relevant because his conduct was not designed to facilitate the offence.
However, the Royal Court disagreed, concluding that de la Haye’s ill-treatment of the victim left her in such a state of fear that she had capitulated to everything, including the request to go to his flat.
Passing sentence, the Bailiff, Robert MacRae, highlighted several examples of de la Haye’s lies, threats, emotional abuse, and “unpleasant incidents”, which had included him – a Type 1 diabetic – pretending to have stopped breathing during a phone conversation with the victim, prompting an ambulance to be called.
The judge said: “This was a cruel trick, and a compelling and extreme example of controlling behaviour and emotional manipulation which amounted to a campaign”.
As well as sentence de la Haye to 12 years in prison, the Court placed him on the Sex Offenders Register for a minimum of 20 years and made a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim or her family for the rest of his life.
Speaking to the JEP after sentencing, the victim said that de la Haye’s absence from court had been an attempt to assert control to the very end and show his indifference to the Court.
She added that she wanted to show other victims, who might not feel able to speak out, that they can come forward, be heard and receive justice. She also expressed her gratitude to the court and all those who had supported her through the process.
She said that she could now walk out of the Royal Court – with de la Haye behind bars – to begin a new chapter in her life, knowing that he was not able to cause her more distress.
The Bailiff was sitting with Jurats Ronge, Christensen, Cornish, Entwistle and Berry.
The JEP has been asked to make clear that the Simon Paul de la Haye in this case is not Simon de la Haye (41) of St Helier, a project / change management consultant.
SUPPORT
Jersey Domestic and Sexual Abuse Support (JDAS) offer specialist support and guidance in relation to domestic or sexual abuse incidents. Support is provided before, during and after any police investigation or court hearing. It is also available when police are not involved. Call: 01534 880505 or email JDAS@gov.je.
The SARC at Dewberry House provide expert independent and confidential support to victims of sexual abuse. The Centre comprises of a team of experts with a wealth of knowledge and experience in advising, supporting and treating anyone who has been raped or sexually assaulted. Call: 01534 888222.
Jersey Action Against Rape(JAAR) provide and maintain a supporting framework for survivors and their families. Tel: 01534 482801.
FREEDA (Freedom from Domestic Abuse) offer a 24-hour helpline, access to safe accommodation as well as help and support for victims of domestic abuse. Tel: 0800 7356836.
Victims First Jersey is a free and independent service offering confidential support to victims and witnesses of crime. Tel: 0800 7351612.
Jersey Domestic Abuse Support
Jersey Domestic Abuse Support (JDAS) is an independent service, developed to protect and support victims of domestic abuse who are at risk of significant harm.
