A rapist who paid another man to have sex with a woman in a hotel room before sexually assaulting her himself has had a bench warrant issued for his arrest after failing to appear in court. David Morrison, 44, was due to learn his fate on Friday (October 24) but didn't turn up to court.

When he is eventually caught, the defendant will be sentenced to 10 years behind bars after a jury convicted him of rape and sexual assault by penetration in August. Teesside Crown Court was told how Morrison had been in a hotel room with the victim when he departed in the early hours to purchase some wine and later returned with another man in tow.

During the sentencing hearing, Recorder Paul Reid, who oversaw the trial, outlined the case: "You (Morrison) started laughing and said 'I have got a present for you'.

You said: 'Do what you want to her, I'm going for a (cigarette) and some wine." The woman, who was unaware of Morrison's plan, had never encountered the man before and instructed him not to touch her, according to the Manchester Evening News.

The man revealed that Morrison had paid him to have sex with her to satisfy the defendant's own fantasy. Morrison dismissed her concerns, telling her: "You're making a mountain out of a mole hill."

He also informed the man he might as well leave as she's "not going to do it". The court was told that after the man departed, the woman warned Morrison not to touch or approach her, but he ignored her pleas and raped her.

In a separate incident, Morrison sexually assaulted the woman. A jury found him guilty of sexual assault by penetration two months ago.

Reading her victim impact statement in court, the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said: "What you did is not just a thing that happened in the past but I carry it with me every single day... it has slowly killed part of me every day since. You have turned my home into a prison, my body into something I feared and my mind into a battlefield."

She revealed she was driven to the "point of despair where I was ready to end my own life". She added: "Every day I wake up and fight for the truth knowing he has not won; I am still here and I am still breathing."

Defence barrister Ian Mullarkey highlighted that the jury cleared Morrison of two additional charges from police on the indictment. He noted the 44-year-old had no prior convictions and was an "accomplished engineer" with an excellent employment history.

Mr Mullarkey explained the defendant endured a troubled childhood marked by neglect. Morrison, of Wilton Castle Lane, received a 10-year prison sentence.

A bench warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear at an earlier hearing this month. Recorder Reid stated: "I gave you an opportunity to settle your affairs pending your sentencing hearing. Instead of doing that you have absented yourself.

"You have prolonged the agony experienced by the complainant," Reid added. An indefinite restraining order has been issued, barring Morrison from contacting the woman, and he will be required to sign the sex offenders register upon his arrest.

'Laughing rapist' paid other man to have sex with victim while he 'went for a cigarette' - Daily Star