A CWMBRAN man who raped and assaulted a woman while he was out celebrating his 18th birthday has been locked up for five years.

Luke Walker, of Wye Court, Thornhill, was sentenced at Newport Crown Court today for attacking an 18-year-old student in an alleyway near Newport nightclub Delilah’s.

Walker, 18, met the woman in the club, on Cambrian Road, while out with his friends to celebrate his birthday in January this year.

The court heard that the two befriended each other and started kissing before Walker suggested they both go outside. The court heard how the victim agreed, thinking it would only lead to more kissing.

Walker then raped and assaulted the woman in an alleyway close to the nightclub, before returning to join his friends back in the club later in the evening.

Judge Philip Richards sentenced Walker, who pleaded guilty, to five years in custody with a victim surcharge fee of £120.

The court heard how the victim suffered stress, worry and anxiety and could only leave the house after several months.

Judge Richards said: “This poor innocent girl has suffered considerably as a result of what you did to her.”

Andrew Taylor, representing the defendant, told the judge Walker had lost his father when he was four years old, leaving him without a male role model.

Mr Taylor said: “Although Luke Walker is just on the cusp of adulthood, he remains a very immature man.

“It’s a nightmare scenario; he goes out on what should have been one of the happiest nights of his life. I’m afraid that Luke Walker read all the wrong signals and behaved the way that he did.

“He will never recover from what happened that night. The event will remain with him for the rest of his days.”

The court heard how CCTV footage from the nightclub led the police to identify Walker, who claimed the victim gave consent.