A SEX offender who attacked a woman with learning difficulties has been convicted of rape after an attack on a different victim in her own home.

Luis Calado was unanimously convicted of one count of rape and one count of sexual assault by penetration in Worcester at the city's crown court on Friday.

The Crown will need to consider whether to pursue a trial in relation to a second count of rape which the jury could not reach a verdict upon.

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The 28-year-old also falls to be sentenced for a sexual assault on a different complainant who had learning difficulties after he was convicted after trial last December, a conviction the jury had been told about in the course of the second trial. Those sexual assaults (sexual assault and sexual assault by penetration) happened on the same day in July 2018.

Worcester News:

GUILTY: Luis Calado. Photo: West Mercia Police

 

Calado showed little emotion in the dock but sobbing could be heard from the public gallery when the guilty verdict on the rape and sex assault came in shortly after 4pm on Friday.

The jury had been deliberating for five hours and 18 minutes. The sentence will now take place on Wednesday, March 2 subject to any decision by the prosecution.

The attacks took place on August 10 last year. During a tense exchange, Mr Nelson spoke of Calado’s attempts to call and text the defendant after the attack.

“You knew by this stage your number was up and she was going to go to the police because you had raped her” said Mr Nelson.

“Absolutely not” replied Calado from the witness box.

Worcester News:

RAPIST: Luis Calado.

 

Mr Nelson asked why Calado was trying to call her at 2.30am. Calado replied: “I didn’t know she had blocked my number.”

Mr Nelson put it to Calado that he was ‘perpetually trying to ring and text her’ but Calado said: “I don’t agree with that. That’s very incorrect.”

The prosecutor referred to the previous sexual assault and said: “You have a propensity to sexually assault women.”

Calado replied: “Absolutely not Mr Nelson.”

In his closing speech Mr Nelson described the alleged rapes as taking place following 'a chance encounter' between the complainant and the defendant.

"I suggest to you that he knew, there and then, that she was vulnerable" he said.

Mr Nelson suggested there was 'an obvious, underlying vulnerability' and that he 'changed the tempo, knowing there was a vulnerability'

"He moved to get what he wanted which was sex whether she was going to consent to it or not" he said.

Mr Nelson said the complainant had become 'a sitting duck'. "He stepped into that type of physical contact within 30 minutes or so" he said.

The prosecutor said she had withdrawn consent. “That didn’t bother Mr Calado at all. Sex was on his mind and he was going to get it, come what may. Mr Calado totally ignored her protestations. He made no effort to establish whether she wanted what he was doing, made no effort to ascertain whether she was consenting. He was more interested – or entirely interested – in his own gratification. He is, the prosecution say, a man with a propensity to behave in this way towards women. In those moments she doubtless felt utterly powerless.”

Calado was remanded in custody ahead of his sentence hearing.