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A man who raped a woman whilst she was sleeping has been found guilty of rape following and appearance at Grimsby Crown Court on Friday, 17 July 2026.
Following a five-day trial a jury has found him guilty of rape, he has been remanded into custody and will return to the court on Friday, 14 August 2026 to be sentenced.
Jonathan Matthew, 30-years-old, of Scunthorpe was charged with rape, sexual assault by penetration, criminal damage, and breaching his existing Sex Offender Registration requirements on Monday, 9 February 2026.
He pleaded guilty to the criminal damage offence and breaching his Sex Offender Registration requirements on Monday, 16 March 2026, however denied all allegations of sexual offences throughout the legal proceedings. The jury returned on Friday, 17 July with a verdict of guilty on the count of rape and not guilty on the count of sexual assault.
Leading the investigation Detective Constable Niki White said:
“Firstly I would like to commend the woman who came forward and reported what had happened to her. Reporting to the police is never easy, and enduring an investigation through to a Crown Court trial is incredibly brave. The impact on this woman cannot be understated, but she has shown great strength which she should be proud of.
“Johnathan Matthew was already on the Sex Offender’s Register for an unrelated offence back in 2024 and breached his registration by failing to inform the police that he had changed his address.
“After receiving the woman’s report, Matthew was swiftly arrested. He denied the offences in police interview and maintained his lies through to trial. The investigation moved at pace, and I was pleased the charges were brought against him and he has been held to account.
“This has been a complex investigation, drawn out by Matthew’s refusal to admit his guilt. This vindictive decision only extended the pain and trauma he had already subjected the woman to by causing her to relive the events at trial. He lied repeatedly to the court, showing he has no respect for authority, and was only interested in saving his own skin rather than doing the right thing.
“Matthew caused damage to the house by throwing items and punching walls. Matthew attacked the sleeping woman at a point she was most vulnerable; the trauma and emotional impact that this has had will undoubtably stay with her for life.
“Whilst the result in court does not take away the harm Matthew has caused, I hope knowing he has been found guilty and will hopefully be behind bars for a very long time, offers some element of solace to the brave woman who came forward.
“We take all reports of rape and sexual offences extremely seriously and continue to work relentlessly to take offenders like Matthew out of our communities.
“Specialist trained officers work closely with partnering agencies across our force area to support victims and survivors, alongside aiding in preventing further incidents by putting perpetrators before the courts.
“My advice to all victims of sexual offences is to come forward and speak to us when you are ready, if you are not ready there are many partner organisations that you can tell, who are only required to pass this to us if you are in immediate danger.
“It is important that you tell someone, a friend, a loved one or an organisation who is there to help. We will always do everything we can to hold those to account who chose to commit such horrid crimes.”