A man who raped a woman as she slept has been jailed for eight years.

William Kyaruhanga was handed the sentence at Chester Crown Court on Thursday, September 11.

It comes after the 58-year-old, of Belgrave Road in Macclesfield, was found guilty of one count of rape following an incident in December 2023.

The court heard how the victim fell asleep after drinking alcohol and woke to find Kyaruhanga raping her.

Detective Constable Doug Whitfield said: "I hope this serves as an example of how seriously we take offences of this nature.

"We will investigate all reports of sexual offences, with the needs and wishes of the victim as our main priority.

"You can report any sexual offence to us by calling 101 or you can report it online through our website. In an emergency, always dial 999."

William Kyaruhanga (Credit: Cheshire Police)

On December 30, 2023, the adult female victim had been with friends at an address in Congleton.

They had been drinking alcohol so she asked if anyone could give her a lift home.

Her friend contacted Kyaruhanga, who she knew, to ask if he could take the victim back home.

Kyaruhanga arrived and stayed at the address for a while, and the victim fell asleep next to him on the sofa while her friends went upstairs to sleep.

The victim woke up to Kyaruhanga raping her. She pushed him away before going upstairs to tell her friend what had happened. Kyaruhanga was confronted and left the address. The victim then called police the following day to report the incident and Kyaruhanga was subsequently arrested.

Following an investigation, he was charged and was found guilty after a trial.

DC Whitfield added: "I welcome the substantial custodial sentence handed to Kyaruhanga, who tried to deny the offences, but the jury ultimately found him guilty of this despicable crime.

"Kyaruhanga chose to take advantage of a woman who was unable to consent while she was asleep.

"He clearly had no regard for her welfare or the impact this would have on her going forwards – I hope the conclusion of this case will provide her with some sense of closure.