Man jailed for six years in sexual assault on woman who was asleep
A man has been jailed for a serious sexual assault after he woke a woman three times to sexually assault her.
Kyle Meredith, 37, of Blenheim Crescent, Notting Hill, was convicted on Wednesday of two counts of sexual assault and sentenced to six years in prison. He was acquitted of a third count of sexual assault.
In the early hours of April 6, 2019, Meredith was on out a night out with a group of friends and had booked an apartment in Hackney Road, Shoreditch, to stay overnight.
At around 3am, the group went back to the apartment. Shortly afterwards, the victim was woken up by Meredith massaging her feet – she told him to go away and he left the room.
She was later woken again to find Meredith in the bed, kissing her. Again she told him leave, which he did.
On the final occasion, Meredith again entered her room, undressed her and carried out a sexual assault.
This time the victim managed to push him out of the room and barricaded herself in with a chest of drawers.
A few hours later she crept out of the apartment, leaving quietly so as not startle Meredith.
She called police on 10 April 2019 who immediately launched an investigation and Meredith was interviewed under caution on 18 April 2019.
During their interviews, phone analysis showed Meredith had called and texted the victim after carrying out the offences, saying how “sorry” he was and how “he knew it was wrong”.
Despite this, he continued to deny the offences and was later charged as above.
PC Abs Shah, who led the investigation, said: “The victim in this case has shown incredible strength and courage.
“Despite many court delays and cancellations, she has continued to fight for justice and the strength of her evidence is what ultimately led to Meredith’s conviction.
“She has been provided with specialist support throughout this difficult period and I hope this serves as a strong reminder of our clear determination to bringing sex offenders to justice.”
Pictured top: Kyle Meredith (Picture: The Met)