A HARWELL man has been jailed after being found guilty of raping a woman who sold him a pedigree dog.

Stephen Tuggey answered an advert to give a home to a dog which the owner was forced to sell because of ill health.

The 42-year-old – who has a sex offence record dating back 24 years – drove to Wales to meet his victim, Cardiff Crown Court was told.

Tuggey, of Didcot Road, Harwell, bought the dog, then phoned the 57-year-old woman – who cannot be named for legal reasons – to give updates on the pet.

Unaware of his past, she accepted his offer to drive over 100 miles to her Cardiff home so her daughter could see how the dog was doing.

She agreed Tuggey could stay the night in a spare room.

But the court heard he later crept into her bed and put his hand over her mouth before forcing her to have sex with him.

The window fitter denied rape and sexual assault and claimed the woman wanted sex and was crying rape because she had changed her mind.

Tuggey, who was convicted last month by a majority jury verdict, was jailed for five years when he returned to court last week for sentencing.

He was also ordered to complete a three-year sex offender’s programme on extended licence after his release from prision, and sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

The court heard that in 1986 Tuggey was convicted of indecently assaulting four women in the Didcot area.

And, two months after targeting them, he rode after another female cyclist and groped her.

In 1995 he was caught after exposing himself to a woman out jogging.

Jailing him, Judge William Gaskell told Tuggey he was a risk to women.

He added: “Your victim was a lady in her late 50s who allowed you to stay the night in her home when it was agreed you bring the dog.

“You took advantage of being there and entered her bedroom.

“She did not want you in the room and made it clear you were unwelcome, but you started to touch her and when she said she would shout for her daughter, you put a hand over her mouth, sexually assaulted and raped her.

“In her own home, you decided there was going to be sexual contact whether she wanted it or not.”

When he was confronted about the rape, Tuggey replied: “I thought we were making love.”

He later phoned the police in a bid to cover himself by saying he had been set up and a false rape claim was about to be made against him.

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