A MAN who beat and raped a woman outside Westquay Shopping Centre will not have his prison sentence extended.
Krystian Kwarta was jailed for eight years, with a further four years on licence.
He raped and assaulted a 21-year-old woman on her way to work on February 15 this year.
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) was asked to review his sentence as to get it increased.
However, at the end of a 28-day referral deadline, it has been confirmed that Kwarta will not see his punishment extended through the unduly lenient sentence scheme.
The decision not to put the case before the Court of Appeal was made by Solicitor General Michael Ellis QC MP, deputy to Attorney General Suella Braverman QC MP, following assessments by the AGO.
A spokesperson for the AGO said: “The Solicitor General was shocked by this brutal and violent attack, and wishes to express his deepest sympathies to the victim and her family.
“However, after careful consideration the Solicitor General has concluded that he could not refer this case to the Court of Appeal. A referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme to the Court of Appeal can only be made if a sentence is not just lenient but unduly so, such that the sentencing judge made a gross error or imposed a sentence outside the range of sentences reasonably available in the circumstances of the offence. The threshold is a high one, and the test was not met in this case.”
As reported by the Daily Echo, Kwarta,20, put his arm around his victim's throat and “banged her head against a metal pole, pulled her hair and pushed her face into the concrete floor”.
During his sentencing on July 1, Southampton Crown Court heard how the victim was left with “bruises and swelling to her face, chin and the underside of her jaw”, as well as “severe psychological harm”.
A victim statement read out in court said: “I feel scared all the time. I remember as my head was smacked against a metal pole multiple times. I remember trying to scream but no sound came out. I was in so much pain. I felt like I was being punished”.
After the attack, Kwarta kicked her bag away and stole her phone disposing of it near the former Toys“R”Us car park.
He stood clutching a tissue and sobbing as he was sentenced by Judge Peter Henry.
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