Locations
Abergavenny, South Wales, NP7
Description
Michael Thomas, a 44-year-old businessman from Abergavenny, South Wales, drilled spy holes in a wooden shed near victim Susan George's home to monitor her movements. The 45-year-old, who waived anonymity, was in a two-year relationship with him.
Thomas built a makeshift bed in the shed and lived there, just yards away. He attacked when George opened her back door late at night to let her dog out. Brandishing a hammer, he raped her twice and held her captive until daybreak.
Her ordeal ended after the mother-of-one persuaded Thomas to drive to a petrol station for cigarettes. She whispered to the assistant: "The guy in the car has raped me. Call the police now - he says he's going to kill me."
Police arrested Thomas, a haulage contractor and owner of successful racehorses, after pulling over the car.
At Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Christopher Llewellyn-Jones jailed the father-of-one for 16 years, with a minimum of eight before parole consideration. Thomas must register as a sex offender for life.
He was convicted of seven rapes involving three women, including George, plus attempted rape, sexual assault, and threats to kill. Some of the 19 offences dated to the 1980s. All victims described his eyes as "black and menacing" during attacks.
The judge said: "The most striking similarity was that all the victims described the same look in your eyes as you carried out the attacks." He added: "You petrified your victims, used violence against them, grabbed them by the throat and hair and used both knives and hammers. Two of the women suffered serious psychological harm. Your victims were terrified and thought they were going to die."
Thomas kept horses at Chepstow, had his own racing colors, and attended National Hunt and flat racing meetings across Britain.
After the case, George said: "I hope he rots in jail. I have no sympathy for him because he showed me no sympathy at all." She feared for her life: "He told me he was going to kill me. He said we would both be dead by morning and that he would let me enjoy one more cigarette before I died. The worst part was when I had to see the hammer in court, I just broke down."
She added: "Finding out there were other victims was a big shock. I had been intimate with this man not knowing he was a serial rapist." Treated for PTSD, she now counsels victims: "I am hoping some good can come out of all this bad. I hope by telling my story it will encourage other victims to come forward. It shows the police system is better than it was years ago and that there are people who can help you."
The other victims knew Thomas. One, in her 30s, was raped after sharing wine at her home. Another was dragged from her car, kicked, punched, and raped at knifepoint. Thomas attempted to rape a fourth woman as her two-year-old clung to her leg.