Fiancee waives anonymity to expose husband-to-be as serial drug rapist

An evil sex beast who drugged and raped three women over more than a decade has been jailed for life.

Ernest Newberry, 55, must serve at least 10 and a half years behind bars for the horrific attacks on three women who trusted him.

Chichester Crown Court heard how he used a cocktail of the date-rape drug GHB, ecstasy, and amphetamines to turn his victims into ‘zombies‘.

The jury was told that he slipped drugs into their tea so that they were powerless to resist as he carried out a string of horrendous sex attacks on them.

Newberry, a crane safety inspector, from Worthing, West Sussex, preyed on his first victim in 1994 but the case was dropped due to a lack of evidence after she complained to police.

He was caught after he drugged and raped his fiance Nina Bodle - who told police and bravely waived her right to anonymity to highlight the case.

She was pregnant with his child at the time. Judge Charles Byers sentenced Newberry to a minimum of 10 and a half years in prison for 23 sex offences including rape and administering stupefying drugs with intent.

Calling him a "dangerous man", the judge said: "For over 10 years you preyed upon women in a manner that can only be described as evil.

"You managed to gain the trust of your victims and then, having done so you drugged, in fact poisoned them into behaving in a manner that suited your own bizarre sexual practices."

Miss Bodle, a hospital receptionist, from Worthing, West Sussex, told the court how Newberry - 16 years her senior - had been the "perfect gentleman" when they met in July 2004.

In a whirlwind romance she fell pregnant two months later and he moved into the home she shared with her daughter of 15 and son of 12. But quickly his behaviour turned into bullying and he became more controlling, she said.

The first time he drugged and raped her was in November 2004. During the next two months he did it again five more times until she fled to a women‘s refuge and told police.

The unborn baby was terminated because doctors thought that the drugs may have severely harmed it.

Newberry was arrested in February 2005 and charged the following August and released on bail.

But while on bail he was free to move to High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire and attack a third woman before he was finally remanded in custody in May 2006.

The jury was shown a humiliating film of one of the women subjected to prolonged to abuse with bottles, sex toys and other household objects. The explicit video was found in his flat in when he was arrested by police.

Judge Byers added: "In 1994 your first victim was subjected to a horrendous incident of penetration, rape, and humiliation by the use of bottles, cosmetic jars and large sex aids, all of which were inserted into her.

"Once she suspected what you were doing she fled the home and you moved on to befriend your next victim. Once she realised what you were doing she too fled.

"But you moved to north of London and started all over again. Fortunately you were discovered after only two crimes were committed against that victim."

After Newberry was taken from the court his three victims hugged each other and wept as they sat in the public gallery.

Judge Byers commended their bravery to come forward and put their tormentor behind bars. He said: "I can only respect and admire the frank and courageous way in which these women have behaved and brought this man to justice.

"I am glad to say that it is not often that a case like this comes before the court and it only did so because of the tenacity of these women and their willingness to stand up in court and say what happened to them."

The judge awarded each of the women £750 compensation for their "courage" in coming forward and the torment they suffered.

He said: "I am doing that because I have taken the view that if this dangerous man had continued, the thing that came through this trial from at least two of the victims is that one day he would have killed somebody and it is my job to make sure he will never do so.

"The public is indebted to them for their candor." Outside the court a relieved Miss Bodle, a mother of two, said that the sentence meant she could finally close the book on the horrors that she suffered.

"I feel relieved that justice was done. I don‘t need to worry as to other women going through what I went through," she said.

"I think we have prevented a murder here. If he was left on the streets he could have killed someone." She said the life sentence was a "fitting" punishment for the ordeal Newberry had put her through.

"Now I can finally move on. I will always worry and it has affected my issues over trust, but I can put this behind me," she added.