A woman was forced to have sex with a violent thug to save the life of a man she was on a first date with.

The victim was walking home from Sunderland city centre with her date when they were attacked by Sean Robinson. Robinson kicked the man in the face and subjected him to a beating, leaving him unconscious and bleeding.

Robinson then told the woman: "If you come and have sex with me I will not kill him." The woman, terrified for her date's life, agreed to the horrific demand.

Robinson forced the victim to lie on an old coat and raped her. He threatened to kill the man if she stopped crying during the assault.

Robinson, then 17, was sentenced to five years in prison with an extended three-year licence period. The judge described the attack as "abominable" and "catastrophic" for the victims.

The attack began when Robinson, without provocation, punched the man multiple times. The man tried to escape, but Robinson chased him down, kicked him to the ground, and continued the assault. Eventually, the couple managed to run away, but Robinson caught up with them and attacked the man again, knocking him unconscious with a brutal kick to the face.

After the rape, Robinson told the woman he would leave her alone if she went to his house. She managed to call her parents, who alerted the police and rushed to the scene. The victim's father confronted Robinson, and a fight ensued before the rapist ran off and was later apprehended by the police.

The man who was attacked was unaware of the rape until he arrived at the hospital. Both victims suffered physical and psychological injuries.

The woman said in a victim statement that the time since the attack has been the "worst of my life." She said she has been "stuck reliving the traumatic experience over and over again, becoming a prisoner in my own head."

The man said the date should have been a memorable one, but it will forever be "etched into my memory for all the wrong reasons." He said he feels guilty that he was unable to protect the woman.