A NEWPORT man was told he must serve at least 11 years of an indeterminate sentence yesterday after being convicted of an “appalling” rape hours after watching violent pornography on the internet.

Gareth Gregg, 25, of Buttermere Way, Old Barn Estate, St Julians, wore a rubber mask to conceal his identity when he forced his way into a woman’s home in a different part of the city at around 2am and tried to strangle her before raping her twice.

He denied two counts of rape but was convicted following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court last month.

Following his arrest officers searched his computer and found he had watched violent pornography, which included a masked man forcing a woman to have sex, before the incident at 1am and again after the incident between 3.01am and 3.09am.

Checks on Gregg’s phone and Facebook account showed he had tried to contact girls to persuade them to come to his house and have sex with him that night.

Robin Shellard, for Gregg, said he was of previous good character and had a good work record.

The Recorder of Cardiff, Nicholas Cooke, QC, described the incident as appalling and said he was greatly concerned that material depicting violent rape was available.

He said he had to consider the safety of the public and said there was a real risk that Gregg, who still denies the rapes, might act the same again unless he addressed whatever it is that made him carry out the acts.

He said: “I am quite unable to identify if and when you will cease to be dangerous.”

During the trial jurors heard the woman tried to stab Gregg, with pens and pencils in self defence as he attempted to strangle her before pleading with him not to kill her.

She described his face as “scary, evil, angry and red” and though she was choking, dizzy and struggling to breathe she told him she would have sex with him because that’s what she thought he wanted, according to the prosecution evidence.

Gregg then raped her twice during the attack last September, and before he left told her he and his friends would “come round and kill you” if she told the police.

The woman dialled 999 at around 3am. Gregg was arrested later.

Gregg was given an indeterminate sentence for the public protection.

Detective Inspector Martin Price who led the police investigation said after the hearing: "This was an extremely serious and traumatic incident and this has been reflected in the sentence given today.

“Gareth Gregg will now be taken out of society for a long time, reducing any further possible risk he can present to innocent members of the community.

"My thoughts at this time remain with the victim and I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the great strength and bravery she has shown throughout the investigation.”