A 29-year-old man has been slammed with a 12-year prison sentence for raping a woman in Taunton’s Victoria Park.
Chilling Attack in the Dead of Night
The horrific assault took place sometime between 11pm on Friday 10 October and 5am on Saturday 11 October 2025. Police quickly launched an appeal for information on Sunday 12 October and arrested Manoj Chinthathira the very same day.
Guilty Pleas and Heavy Sentence
At a hearing on 28 November 2025, Chinthathira, from Wilfred Road, Taunton, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape. Today, 8 January, he was sentenced at Taunton crown-court/" title="Crown Court" rel="nofollow">Crown Court, sitting at Worle, to 12 years behind bars, with the sentences running concurrently. The court allowed a reduction for his guilty plea.
His Honour Judge Stephen Climie said Chinthathira would be deported after serving half of his sentence.
The Grim Details
Chinthathira approached the victim – a stranger in her thirties – after noticing she seemed upset. Police investigations revealed he bought beer from a nearby shop and plied her with alcohol, initially striking up a seemingly friendly chat.
Security camera footage caught the horrifying moment he threatened to rape her, while the terrified woman begged, “please don’t.”
Chinthathira showed remorse in court, hanging his head as the sentence was handed down.
