A drunken rapist who attacked a woman in his flat has been jailed for five years.
Anthony Ball, 42, was said to have been depressed before and after a heavy drinking session.
He bundled the victim on to his bed and raped her at the flat in Gains Close, Canvey.
Ball, who later moved to Erith, Kent, pleaded not guilty at Basildon Crown Court but was convicted by a jury.
His barrister, Christine Agnew, said Ball had been forced to sell up and no longer works at his trade as a kitchen fitter.
Miss Agnew added: "This was a blip by the defendant, something which was out of character."
In jailing Ball, Judge Zoe Smith said he had "forced himself" on the woman following his heavy drinking.
However, the judge added she had seen reports which suggest there was a low-level risk of Ball repeating such an offence.
She said the rape was so serious that a prison term was inevitable.
Ball was put on the national sex offenders' register for an indefinite period.
Published Monday October 14, 2002
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