Foreman filmed rape of woman on his phone
A foreman who filmed and encouraged one of his workers as he raped an unconscious woman in a town centre street has admitted taking part in the attack.
Stephen Ball, aged 39, from Cheslyn Hay, was leading a group of shopfitters working on a pub when they went out drinking and met the woman who became victim of the attack.
She collapsed in the heart of Bideford, Devon, after being plied with vodka and horrified passers-by intervened when they saw a man assaulting her as Ball laughed and filmed the scene on a mobile phone.
Rapist Richard Evans was jailed for four-and -a-half years at Exeter Crown Court after police were called to the scene and experts recovered the footage which had been taken on Ball's phone.
Part of the incident had also been captured by CCTV cameras that were covering Jubilee Square in Bideford, the court heard.
Ball, of Littlewood Lane, admitted the charge of encouraging rape and his case was adjourned for pre-sentence reports by Judge Francis Gilbert, QC.
Evans, of Dyas Avenue, Great Barr, admitted rape at the same court in June and was jailed by the same judge.
Judge Gilbert told him: "You assaulted her sexually, laughed and then did it again and what you were doing was filmed."
During that case the court heard how both men had been laughing and joking during the sex assault with Ball heard 'egging-on' the attack.
Horrified shop workers in a newsagent overlooking the scene called police and passers-by including a 15-year-old boy shouted for them to stop.
At one point Evans picked up the woman and pretended they were hugging like a normal couple to try to try and deceive the onlookers.
Evans and Ball were working on a pub redevelopment and met the woman when they went drinking after work.
Mr David Sapiecha, prosecuting, told the earlier hearing: "The footage recovered from the mobile phone was distressing.
"The prosecution says this offence was aggravated by being in a very public area in broad daylight and being filmed.
"The film was deleted when the police arrived but if it had not been, it was a degrading piece of footage and we don't know where it would have ended up."
Mr Nigel Wraith, defending Ball, said the court would benefit from a pre-sentence report into his client's background and also into his character.
