A CONVICTED rapist has been jailed after he went on to sexually assault a woman in her own home.

Mark Holmes, 38, from Newport jumped on his victim, put his hand over her mouth before he carried out two sex attacks on her.

He further “humiliated” her by verbally abusing her during her ordeal.

Holmes was found guilty of two counts of assault by penetration by a jury following a trial in May.

The offences were committed in the summer of 2021.

Holmes’ previous rape conviction was in 2002 when he was a boy.

The defendant raped a 15-year-old girl on his 17th birthday and was sentenced to an 18-month detention and training order at Cardiff Crown Court.

Owen Williams, prosecuting, read out the victim impact statement of the woman who was assaulted two years ago.

South Wales Argus:

Mark Holmes

She said: “I feel like a stranger in my own home.

“I have been frightened to go out of my own front door.

“I live in fear day in day out.

“This has had a profound effect on my emotional wellbeing.

“What did I do to deserve this?”

Susan Ferrier representing Holmes said there was little she could say in mitigation.

She told Cardiff Crown Court: “He continues to maintain he wasn’t responsible for the offending.”

Miss Ferrier added: “There is another side to this man who is capable of being kind-hearted and caring.”

The judge, Recorder Mark Cotter KC, told Holmes: “You jumped on your victim, you overpowered her and you put your hand over her mouth.

“The fact that you have a previous conviction for an extremely serious offence, although that was committed many years ago, is troubling.”

The defendant was jailed for eight years and six months and will have to serve two-thirds of that sentence before being released on licence.

Holmes has to register as a sex offender for life.