Man who raped man and woman on same night jailed for 20 years

A Brighton man has been jailed for 20 years for raping a man and a woman on the same night. Judge David Rennie said that Louis Thomas, 35, was a “vicious and sadistic individual” at the end of his trial at Hove Crown Court.

Thomas, unemployed, of Lower Rock Gardens, Brighton, approached a homeless woman in her early thirties on Brighton beach on the night of Sunday 30 June last year. She was with friends but Thomas convinced her to leave with him, offering her a place to shower and change.



But when they reached his home he raped her. After allowing her to leave, Thomas then went back out and found another victim, a 21-year-old man from Brighton. The man had been out with friends and had left to walk home alone. Thomas walked with him before dragging him into his home and threatening him with a weapon.

He then raped him. Afterwards Thomas forced his victim to a nearby cash machine to withdraw about £100 and stole his phone. The victim immediately made his way to the police station where he reported what had happened. Thomas was found guilty of both rapes and robbery.