Raped mother as child wept.

A 20-year-old man, Daniel Wardrop, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for the rape of a young woman in her Southampton home, while her children were present.

The court heard that Wardrop subjected the woman to a harrowing ordeal that lasted over two hours, threatening to harm her children if she did not comply. He became violent when she refused his advances and attempted to call the police, snatching the phone from her and putting his hand around her throat to prevent her from speaking to the operator.

Wardrop forced the woman to tell the police everything was fine, threatening to kill her if she did not. He followed her around the flat, keeping her in his sight before eventually raping her, stating, "I am going to make your kids suffer if you don't."

The victim described being physically shaking with fear and her children witnessed parts of the attack, with one child stating, "She shouted: 'Don't." The children were reportedly in tears and heard their mother cry.

After the attack, Wardrop made the victim promise not to tell anyone, but she later broke down and phoned her father, describing the ordeal as "hysterical." Wardrop was subsequently arrested and admitted to one count of rape.

The victim revealed in a victim impact statement that she has been unable to go upstairs since the attack and has been sleeping with her children in the lounge. She has also removed the door handle to the bedroom where the rape occurred to prevent anyone from entering.

In sentencing Wardrop, Judge Gary Burrell QC stated, "This was a deplorable rape of a young woman in her own home with her children present. There is no room in my judgement for mercy in your case."

Hampshire police are currently under investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission for their handling of the initial call and the decision not to deploy officers.