Dayan Garcia: student who raped woman and took pictures of her during the attack jailed

A PhD student who hit a woman over the head and then raped her - while taking multiple photos of her during the attack, has been jailed. Dayan Garcia, 31, attacked her on the night of 29 April this year, a court heard.

She had found herself separated from her friends while out, and met Garcia in a nightclub in Plymouth, Devon, and agreed to go back to his address at around 2am. Back at his home, Garcia hit the victim’s head twice after she refused his advances towards her, and then he raped her.

Woman feared for her life

During a trial at Plymouth Crown Court, the jury heard how the victim suffered facial injuries and feared for her life.It also came to light that Garcia had taken multiple photos of the victim during the attack, without her knowledge.

The victim managed to flee the scene with Garcia’s phone, and fast tracked enquiries led to his identification and arrest on the evening of 30 April 2022.

Garcia was quickly remanded the next day for two counts of rape and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH).Prior to his trial, which began on 27 September, Garcia changed his plea to guilty to the ABH offence, but not guilty to the two counts of rape. However, he was found guilty of both counts after a four day trial and now faces nine years behind bars.

‘We would like to recognise the bravery of the victim’

A statement from Devon and Cornwall Police after the case said: “Devon and Cornwall Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) welcome the custodial sentence of Dayan Garcia for the serious offences for which he stood trial.

“We would like to recognise the bravery of the victim in both coming forward to report these significantly traumatising offences and for providing detailed accounts of what happened, both at the time of the offence and during the trial.

“We would also like to thank the witnesses who gave supporting evidence in this case. Without the support of the general public and a willingness to attend court, these convictions would be more difficult to secure.”

• The National Rape Crisis Helpline can be contacted on 0808 802 9999