A soldier has been found guilty of raping an 18-year-old girl student at a halls of residence at Glamorgan University.
On Tuesday, Jonathan Haynes, 30, was found guilty of six counts of rape, two of kidnap and two of attempting to kidnap following a three week trial at Bristol Crown Court.
Haynes, a Royal Logistics Corp lance corporal, who was based at Buckley Barracks, Hullavington, near Chippenham, attacked the Glamorgan student on September 26, 2009.
Bristol Crown Court was told how Haynes had abducted and raped a 16-year-old girl in Chippenham, Wiltshire, 13 days before driving to South Wales for the university attack.
He also raped another girl, 17, in Chippenham in 2010 and in February 2010, he tried to snatch two 14-year-old girls from a country lane near the Wiltshire town.
Detective Inspector Dave Runnalls, of South Wales Police, said: “Jonathan Haynes has been convicted of an appalling sexual assault on an innocent young woman.
“That Freshers’ Week at the University of Glamorgan, she was embarking on an exciting chapter in her life and was looking forward to a new education in a new place.
“Haynes took all this and more away from her.
“This was a very serious offence, and we devoted unprecedented resources to this investigation which ran for a long time.
“This type of crime is very rare in South Wales, so the incident and the subsequent media interest had a massive impact on the student population but also on the wider Pontypridd community.
“Six months into our investigation, Haynes appeared on Wiltshire Police’s radar which was a critical turning point.
“Once we became aware of Jonathan Haynes ’ part in the incidents in England, and investigated his connection to the University through a former partner, our officers were able to link him to the attack in South Wales.
“Excellent co-operation and support from Wiltshire officers played a pivotal role and for that I would like to thank DCI Hamlin and his team.
“I hope the verdict will help the victim and her family move on from what has been a very difficult time.
“I also hope this verdict gives others the confidence they need in the police service to come forward to report such incidents.”
Haynes will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on September 8.