Clive Manyou trial: Jury convicts - 6 years for rape

But Clive Manyou's performance in the witness box at York Crown Court failed to convince a jury of his innocence.

Today, the married Heslington man, who has a young child, was starting a six-year jail sentence after being convicted of raping a 19-year-old student in her bedroom.

Recorder Gary Burrell QC said: "The jury have seen through your rather unconvincing performance in the witness box, where you blatantly tried to lie your way out of this situation making up wholly unfounded allegations against the 19-year-old student."

Sex attacker is sent down

RAPIST Clive Manyou was today starting a six year jail sentence after ruining a York student's university career.

He waited until the undergraduate was sleeping before sexually attacking her twice in her bed in a hall of residence.

His assaults left her in so much pain she could not bear even the most delicate medical examination some hours later, York Crown Court was told.

"As a result what you did, this young girl's university career was ruined," said Recorder Gary Burrell QC.

"What should have been an enriching and learning experience that she was entitled to expect was completely spoiled by your sexual attack on her."

He told Manyou, who claimed he spent five years at the National Youth Theatre before coming to York: "The jury have seen through your rather unconvincing performance in the witness box, where you blatantly tried to lie your way out of this situation making up wholly unfounded allegations against the 19-year-old student complainant and her friend".

Manyou, 36, had claimed the undergraduate molested him while he slept and accused her friend of cheating in her essays and being racist towards him.

The jury heard that Manyou turned the conversation "sleazy" when the two were left alone in her hall of residence in the early hours after listening to music and drinking with others. He manipulated her into letting him stay the rest of the night.

"She didn't want you to stay in that room," said the judge.

"She trusted you when you promised to sleep fully-clothed on the floor.

"You waited until she was asleep and got into her bed to assault her when she was asleep and therefore vulnerable. After the first sexual assault you waited until she was asleep again," said the judge.

He jailed Manyou for six years and put him on the sex offenders' register for life.

Manyou, of Garrowby Way, Heslington, who was studying English Literature at the university, had denied charges of sexual touching and rape, but the jury convicted him by majority verdicts after nearly four hours in retirement.

The jury heard the 19-year-old went crying to the friend immediately after the rape and the friend went with her to hospital.

The day the jury retired to consider their verdicts, security searches revealed that Manyou had a tape recorder on him in the court building, even though they are strictly forbidden in court.

His defence team told the judge it did not have a tape in it and handed in a tape which Manyou claimed came from his car. Barrister David Lennon said it did not include any details of the trial.

University's 'great regret'

THE University of York has spoken of its "great regret" that a student has been convicted of a criminal offence.

A spokesman said in a statement: "Clive Manyou will now be dealt with according to the University's disciplinary procedures."

Of the rape victim, he said: "A place at York will be available to her next October, but the decision on whether or not she returns is entirely hers."

Lead singer in popular band

MANYOU was the lead singer in a popular university soul band called Mitus, which played at many big campus events including the annual Woodstock festival.

The group were finalists in last year's university Battle Of The Bands contest and also performed in city centre venues including the Judges Lodgings pub, in Lendal.

The band split up recently. A student said: "I think there was a general idea that there was a change in Manyou's character."