A Swindon man has been jailed for 15 years after being found guilty of two counts of rape.

Charles Schneider, of Freshbrook in Swindon, was also found guilty of six charges of sexual assault by touching and two counts of sexual assault by penetration, at Swindon Crown Court.

He received a jail sentence of 15 years on Thursday.

The court heard Schneider subjected his victim to sexual assaults over several months.

In a victim impact statement, she described the effects of the ordeal to the court.

She said: “What Charlie has done to me has massively affected my ability to trust others. I now worry about people's motives and things like jokes and comments get to me a lot more than they ever did.  

"I have noticed simple everyday things are now more stressful. I recently got a taxi on my own with a male driver and I realised how uncomfortable I now felt in that situation.

“I am way warier of any physical proximity to me. 

"I am grateful that Charlie has been found guilty as now I can start to feel safe for the first time in years.

“It feels like the end of a horrific period in my life. I don't feel it means I can move on, because it still happened and I still have to deal with it, but it does begin to help."

Sergeant Matthew Gamble added Schneider’s actions have had significant consequences for his victim’s mental health.

“Schneider’s actions have caused understandably significant amounts of stress to his victim”, he said.

“She has suffered with her mental health as a consequence, which has had a huge negative impact on both her private and professional life.

“I want to highlight the dignity and courage that she has maintained through this extremely distressing time.

“I hope that today’s sentencing will provide her with some closure so that she can start to rebuild her life.” 

Wiltshire Police have urged victims of rape and sexual assault to report it at the earliest opportunity.

A spokesperson said: “If you’ve been the victim of rape or sexual assault we would urge you to report it at the earliest opportunity.

“There are many different ways you can report it to us, either by calling 999 in an emergency, or 101.

“Alternatively you can talk directly to a police officer or report online.”

Victims can find information or support online, while those who do not want to report to the police can seek help from sexual assault referral centres.