Man who raped another man in hotel room jailed for seven years

A man who raped another man inside a hotel room in Burton-on-Trent has been jailed for seven years.

Aaron Tugwell, 26, of Rugeley, was sentenced at Stafford Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 16 October) after he was previously found guilty of two counts of the rape of a man and one count of causing a man to engage in sexual activity.

It happened in October 2022. Tugwell got the survivor up to his hotel room and then proceeded to rape and sexually assault him.

When the survivor tried to leave, Tugwell tried to convince him to stay, but he didn’t. The survivor got a taxi home and called police about the incident.

Tugwell was arrested the day after the incident and denied the offences on interview.

Officers from our rape and serious sexual offences unit (RASSO) worked tirelessly to support the survivor and to build the evidence needed to secure charges against Tugwell. He still denied the offences in court but a jury deemed him guilty on all counts following a trial in July this year.

As part of his sentencing, Tugwell was placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

Detective Constable Lily Rowley, from RASSO, said: “I’m pleased that we’ve been able to deliver this outcome for the survivor in this case who has shown tremendous bravery in coming forward and supporting our investigation.

“We’re absolutely determined to take robust action against those responsible for these heinous crimes in Staffordshire and to support survivors as much as possible throughout the criminal justice process.”

If you’re a survivor and you want to talk to us, call 101 or use Live Chat on our website.

Anyone who has experienced this type of crime should feel confident to report their experiences of harm to the police directly or indirectly, safe in the knowledge that they will be taken seriously and that they will be treated with dignity and respect.

To find out more about how we support victims, see: Operation Soteria – Transforming the Investigation of Rape