CPS News Brief

Ryan Kennedy convicted of three counts of rape against three women

Ryan Kennedy convicted of three counts of rape against three women

 

Ryan Kennedy has today been convicted of three counts of rape. He was found guilty at Gloucester Crown Court. The jury acquitted him of two other counts of rape and one count of attempted rape. They could not decide on the remaining eight counts alleging similar offences.

The case involved victims who had all been in relationships with Ryan Kennedy, which very quickly became controlling and abusive.

Ben Samples, senior prosecutor at the CPS said:

“Ryan Kennedy convinced his victims that they had no choice but to do as they were told. He was emotionally, sexually and physically abusive, putting his needs above all else.

“Kennedy controlled his victims by emotional manipulation and, in one case, raped his victim as a punishment.

“Consent must be freely given and can be taken back at any point. In this case the victims’ protests were ignored, and they then felt it would be futile or dangerous to do anything but submit to all that Kennedy demanded. I would like to thank the victims for their bravery in coming forward, which can often be difficult and daunting.”

Details of the convicted charges:

Three counts of rape, contrary to section 1 (1) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003

Restaurant owner guilty of manslaughter

A restaurant owner has been convicted of manslaughter when a customer with a peanut allergy died after eating a meal containing peanut powder.

Martin Goldman, Chief Crown Prosecutor, CPS Yorkshire and Humberside said:

“This is a truly tragic case in which Paul Wilson lost his life entirely needlessly. Mohammed Zaman directly caused the death of Mr Wilson by causing him to be served a meal that he knew contained potentially lethal peanut powder.

“Zaman substituted almond powder with a cheaper ground nut mix, which contained peanuts. He failed to warn customers, failed to properly train his employees and failed to take any action following a previous serious allergic reaction. These failures led to Mr Wilson’ death.

“In this conviction, the CPS has sent a very clear message to the catering industry: there is a duty of care to your customers. If you ignore your responsibilities and regulations and put lives at real risk then we will not hesitate to prosecute.”