Personal trainer jailed for raping 18-year-old client he groomed with partner

A personal trainer who raped an 18-year-old client after grooming her with his partner has been jailed.

James Owen, 55, and Ellen Rae, 52, plied the woman with drinks at their Salisbury home before Owen raped her and Rae sexually assaulted her in their hot tub.

Prosecutors said the February 2021 attack followed weeks of planning by the couple, whose texts revealed “vile discussions about sexual assaults committed against the victim prior to the rape, and their plans for further abuse”.

Owen was jailed for eight years on Friday after being found guilty of rape, two counts of sexual assault and conspiracy to commit sexual assault.

Rae was jailed for two years after being found guilty of sexual assault and conspiracy to commit sexual assault.

During a nine-day trial at Winchester Crown Court, it was heard how Owen first assaulted the woman by groping her during training sessions at his home between January and February 2021.

He claimed his touching of her was necessary as part of specific exercises.

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However, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said text messages between Owen and Rae “revealed far more sinister intentions”.

It said Owen revelled in the groping and made comments such as “I’ll be very respectable tomorrow to lull her into a false sense of security” prior to a session.

Rae also made comments about the victim’s body and encouraged her partner’s sexual intentions.

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Following the grooming, the pair invited the teenager to their home for a Valentine’s-themed dinner.

Owen presented the victim with a heart-shaped nipple piercing which the pair insisted she try on.

Feeling more uncomfortable as the night went on, she called her friend in tears from a bathroom and expressed concern about the pair’s conduct, the CPS said.

Before she could be picked up, the defendants told the teenager to get in the hot tub, where she was attacked.

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Lisa Garcia, a senior crown prosecutor with CPS Wessex, said the actions of Owen and Rae were “utterly abhorrent”.

“While masquerading as a friendly couple with noble intentions, they worked together to systematically plan and execute the rape of a young woman who trusted them,” she said.

“This abuse of trust has caused indescribable damage and we worked rigorously with detectives to ensure they were not just convicted for the physical abuse, but for their sick planning and coercion.”

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