The Daily Mail is carrying an Isle of Wight story on their Website today, but unfortunately it’s not a ‘good’ news story. Sadly, for one young woman, far from it.
It reports that a 22 year old man from Cowes has been sentenced to six years in prison after luring a 22 year old woman to the house he shares with his mother, drugging and then raping her.
The court heard that Anton Barnes had been fantasising about having a sexual relationship with the woman after meeting her several years before.
He admitted setting up a fake Facebook account to befriend her and after time, managed to convince the woman to meet him at his mother’s house in Cowes.
Pleaded guilty
The details of what happened after that are best left in the court, but suffice to say, it was very unpleasant for the young woman involved.
According to the report, Barnes pleaded guilty to spare the woman from appearing in court. He was jailed for six years and will be released on licence in three.
Stay safe
This sort of crime is very unusual to hear of on the Island and our thoughts are with the woman involved.
We’re sure that she would not want the same to happen to anyone else, so if you are befriended online and choose to meet the new friend, why not suggest meeting in a public place (perhaps with a friend) until you get to know them better.
