Pair jailed over rape punishment

Elizabeth Seagrove, 40, held down the 18-year-old victim while Matthew Costello, 31, raped her after blaming her for the theft of £100.

Seagrove, from Iver in Buckinghamshire, was sentenced to 10 years and six months at Aylesbury Crown Court for rape, plus a two-year jail sentence for drug offences, to run concurrently.

Costello, from Manor Park, Slough, Berkshire, was sentenced to nine years for rape, Thames Valley Police said.

Seagrove discovered the cash missing from the house in Iver in October last year and blamed the victim for the theft.

She punished the girl by slapping her and then arranged for Costello to rape her.

The couple drove the girl around for an hour searching for a place where her screams would not be heard, settling on a fly tipping site in Amersham where Seagrove held the girl down by her hair, placed a scarf in her mouth to stop her screaming and Costello raped her.

Detective Constable Ghulam Mourtaza said: “It was a vile punishment for a theft for which she was innocent.

“These sentences will hopefully bring the victim some closure and show that justice has been done and this kind of despicable behaviour will always be prosecuted.”

Both had denied the charges but were found guilty by a jury.