A man who was appealing his rejected asylum claim has been sentenced to seven years in prison after being found guilty of raping a young woman in her own home.
Chret Callender, 28, from Trinidad, was staying at an asylum hotel when he raped the woman after a night out in Bournemouth in June last year.
During the sentencing hearing, the young woman broke down in tears as she bravely read her victim impact statement.
The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said, “What he did that night has destroyed my sense of safety and completely changed how I lived my life. The attack has left deep emotional wounds I carry every single day.”
She continued: “My life has changed completely. I now suffer from panic attacks, anxiety, and fear. I no longer feel safe in a place I call home.
“This wasn’t just one night, this is life-changing pain and trauma I carry every single day. What he did has changed me forever.”
Upon sentencing, Judge Fuller KC said: “You behaved in an animalistic way, ignoring her cries and pain.”
“You showed not a shred of remorse, and have warped ideas about consent,” Judge Fuller KC said.
However, Mary Aspinall-Miles, defending, said Callender now feels remorseful and wishes “to wind the clock back”.
Callender was sentenced to seven years in prison, but is eligible for release on license after serving just two-thirds of his sentence.
Callender has now said he wants to return to Trinidad, after a jury found him guilty of rape and sexual assault last month.
His lawyer says the 28-year-old is keen to engage in the Government’s Early Removal scheme, which allows foreign prisoners to be deported before the end of their sentence.
During the trial, the jury heard audio clips of the attack, which the woman secretly recorded on her phone.
The young woman could be heard saying “I have said no, please stop”, before Callender told her to “have some respect for me” and “to shut up”.
He went on to say, “why are you crying? You’re making me feel like I’m raping you”.
After the attack, Callender was heard telling the woman he was sorry and that he had “f***ed up”.
Callender, who was staying at the Britannia Hotel, one of three asylum hotels in Bournemouth, denied raping the woman.
He admitted to pressuring her into having sex but claimed he stopped when she said no.
He claimed to Bournemouth Crown Court the woman faked the attack when she started recording.
But a jury found him guilty of rape and sexual assault after almost five hours of deliberations.
The young woman gave evidence in the trial, saying: “I made it clear no means no. He was telling me he didn’t care if I cried.
“I tried pushing him off but I couldn’t, he kept pushing my hands away. I didn’t feel strong enough to push him off”, she said.
“He was quite forceful so I couldn’t really move. He grabbed my wrist at one point, I said ‘stop that, you’re hurting me’.
“When he finished, I went to the bathroom and locked myself in.”
Bournemouth Crown Court heard the rape happened in the early hours of June 14, 2025.
Mary Aspinall-Miles, defending, told the court, “he arrived on a lawful visa and remained and then made an asylum claim, which was rejected for lack of evidence”.
“During the appeals process he was in Bournemouth,” Aspinall-Miles said.