A lying rapist claimed he had been sleepwalking after launching a "sickening" attack on a young woman as she slept.

Keiran Penney's brave victim told him she would not wish his actions "on my worst enemy" as he was locked up on Thursday.

The 19-year-old, of Margate, was convicted of raping the young woman following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court in November.

The same court heard on Thursday how the victim was unable to continue in her job following the attack in 2020.

Such was the trauma she suffered at Penney's hands, she felt forced to destroy her belongings with bleach.

“That day broke me, and I relive it every day,” she continued, describing flashbacks and “constantly feeling dirty and betrayed”.

Addressing Penney directly, she said his actions forced her to quit her beloved job, adding: “I could never wish anything so sickening on my own worst enemy".

Her dignity, self-worth and human rights were torn away on the night of the attack at the Thanet address, she told him.

And his denials during the trial, which meant she had to undergo rigorous cross-examination, made her feel physically unwell, she explained.

“Hearing the word ‘guilty’ was the biggest moment of my life,” she told Penney, who remained emotionless in the dock.

The woman woke at an address to find Penney, then 17, attacking her, causing her to freeze up and cry, the prosecution told jurors.

Following the harrowing ordeal, Penney is said to have told her: “I'm sorry, I don't know what happened, I think I done [sic] that in my sleep, I’m so sorry,” the court heard.

Penney would text the woman an apology just hours after subjecting her to the horrors of his abuse.

But the police would soon discover DNA belonging to Penney, who, during an interview, claimed they had consensual sex.

He also tried convincing detectives the apology text was “because he must have hit her in the night when turning over".

Penney, of Star Lane, was unanimously found guilty of rape after jurors deliberated for two hours and 22 minutes following the trial.

Handing down four years inside a Youth Offenders' Institution, Judge Rupert Lowe said: “In the early hours she wakes up feeling herself being moved by you, what you were doing is putting her in a position to have sex with her, and raping her.

“You were convicted of a rape after trial at which you claimed quite dishonestly that she consented to having sex with you, which was simply not true.

"That day broke me, and I relive it every day..."

“What you did to her has had a devastating effect on her life.”

He continued: “I’m sure that while you were doing it you didn’t imagine any of that, you were just carried away with your sexual urges, a 17-year-old persuading yourself that you should take advantage of a girl you found very attractive."

But Judge Lowe explained he must balance Penney’s actions with a number of significant mitigating features highlighted by the defence.

Sasha Queffurus explained Penney was an immature 17-year-old at the time of the attack.

She emphasised his previous good character and cognitive problems - ADHD and autism.

And she explained Penney had “made the mistake of drinking alcohol” which triggered his “out of character” behaviour.

Penney, who was supported by family in the public gallery, will serve half of his sentence in custody and a further two years on licence.

Time already spent on remand will be deducted from his overall sentence. On his release, he will be subject to notification requirements indefinitely.