A 53-year-old security guard, Dominic Spiteri, previously employed by One Direction, Stacey Solomon, and Tulisa, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for impersonating a taxi driver and sexually assaulting a 24-year-old intoxicated clubgoer.
The 24-year-old victim said York Crown Court that she suspected her drink had been tampered with during an evening out in the city centre with pals.
She said that she felt unkempt and completely disoriented when she departed from Vudu.
Dominic Spiteri, 53, of Parliament Street, Norton, approached her, identified himself as a taxi driver, and proposed to transport her home at a discounted rate.
Once they were alone in his vehicle, he began to molest her and transported her to a secluded layby in the countryside, where he sexually abused her with such severity that she experienced discomfort for several days thereafter. She stated that she was unable to prevent him due to her condition, however repeatedly expressed her refusal.
Dominic Spiteri, employed as a doorman at city centre clubs, refuted allegations of impersonating a cab driver or tampering with her drink.
He asserted from the witness stand that she had acquainted him with her pals within Vudu. In the vehicle, she engaged in flirtation and initiated sexual contact with him.
He refuted witness accounts indicating that the victim had vomited upon arriving at the hotel where her friends were lodged.
The jury found Dominic Spiteri guilty of sexual assault after four hours of deliberation.
Judge Simon Batiste informed Dominic Spiteri that the victim was especially susceptible owing to her personal circumstances. She was alone in a taxi with you late at night, plainly incapacitated due to her drunken state.You exploited that opportunity.
You have not exhibited any semblance of sorrow for your actions.
This was a dreadful assault.
He sentenced Dominic Spiteri to seven years in prison, imposed a lifelong sexual harm prevention order prohibiting him from being alone with a woman in a vehicle or contacting the victim in any manner, and placed him on the sex offenders register for life.
The victim wept as the jury delivered their decision following a four-day trial.
The judge stated she had experienced significant psychological distress.
In her personal statement, she expressed feelings of violation, a loss of faith in males, and an aversion of being alone with any guy.
Keith Allen, representing Dominic Spiteri, stated that he is currently experiencing depression and is receiving treatment from a psychiatrist.
The victim informed the jury that she had been hesitant to report to the police initially due to a negative experience as a complainant in a separate case.
The jury was informed that the initial police officer assigned to the Dominic Spiteri case had been removed from it.
The victim stated that the police had failed to conduct fundamental investigations or scheduled for her to provide her testimony over video link, as is customary in sexual offence trials.
The jury was informed that a second officer assumed responsibility for the case and collected the evidence implicating Dominic Spiteri.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.