Eastbourne mother traps rapist husband (From The Argus)

Eastbourne mother traps rapist husband

4:06pm Wednesday 6th March 2013 in News By Anna Roberts, Crime reporter

A mother has told how she trapped her rapist husband by pretending to be unconscious and filming him as he attacked her.

Heather Holden told The Argus how she suffers from diabetes and began sus- pecting that while unconscious she was being raped.

The 34-year-old, who bravely agreed to waive her anonymity, said after suffering a diabetic attack she recalled her husband, Anton Holden, assaulting her – but she was not entirely certain about what was happening.

She said: “I had some memories of him having sex with me in a violent way.

“I knew I was trying to get away. I knew I was not consenting.

"I was not coherent but some things were very, very clear.

“But I knew it would be my word against his. I knew I needed evidence.”

Ms Holden thought she had achieved her ‘happily ever after’ when she met Holden through a music website in 2007.

At the time she was living in Oregon, USA, but agreed to move to Eastbourne to be with him.

They married in August 2008 but in September 2011, while she was eight months pregnant with their child, Holden raped her.

Ms Holden decided to set up a video camera and lay down on the bed, telling her husband that her blood sugar was low.

She said: “I pretended to be unconscious and he started raping me.

"I pretended to come round and he would stop.

“Then I would pretend to slip back into unconsciousness and he would start again.”

Afterwards, Ms Holden told him she had video evidence of the rape and the pair fought over a phone as Ms Holden dialled 999.

Holden, 40, was arrested and charged with a string of sex, violence and harassment offences.

He was found guilty following a five-day trial at Lewes Crown Court last month and jailed for 12 years.

The pair divorced on September 11 last year.

She said: “I gave up everything for him – for the chance of a happy family – but it never was.”

Ms Holden added: “I am not going to remain anonymous.

"I want other women who have had these things happen to them to come forward and talk to police.”

Holden, previously of Barcombe Close, was convicted of two counts of rape, two of attempted rape, and of one each of sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, actual bodily harm and breach of a non molestation order.