Warning: This article contains some descriptions of violent sexual offences, but not in specific detail.
A READING man has been handed a nearly thirty-year sentence after being found guilty of a string of charges, including rape and blackmail.
Jonathan Goldsmith, aged 52 and of Hatch Gate, Reading was sentenced on Friday, May 15, at a hearing at Reading Crown Court, to 28-years imprisonment.
However four of those years will be spent on license.
It comes after he was found guilty of seven counts of rape and one count of blackmail following a three-week trial at the same court.
Being on license means that Goldsmith will be released into the community for the final period of his sentence, but will be subject to heavy restrictions.
These include regular probation visits and travel restriction, as well as curfews and contact restriction.
In 2002, Goldsmith threatened a woman in her late teens with a knife, before raping her in a parked car in London.
Beginning in 2009, and for nearly 15 years, Goldsmith subjected a woman, also in her late teens when they first met in Oxford, to multiple rapes–many of which involved physical violence and left her with multiple injuries.
His visited her home in Reading and continued this abuse, he captured images and videos of the abuse and blackmailed the victim with this material to prevent her from speaking about it.
In 2014, Goldsmith met a woman, this time in her twenties, on a dating site, and in December of that year he raped her, leaving her with injuries.
Goldsmith was arrested on multiple occasions, including in August 2002, December 2014, and again in April 2021, but was not charged until January 29 this year.
Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Rachel Belsher said: “I am so grateful to the complainants in this case for the remarkable bravery and courage they have shown.
“Jonathan Goldsmith is a serial rapist and has finally been held to account for his crimes.
“He targeted women who he knew to be vulnerable and whom he assumed would never be believed. He was wrong.
“The complainants have had to persevere in a very long and very invasive investigation and then trial process. I would like to thank these incredible women for making sure that Jonathan Goldsmith cannot hurt any more women.
“I would like this conviction to show that no matter your circumstances, Thames Valley Police is committed to investigating violence against women and girls. If you are a victim of violence then please be reassured that we have specially trained officers who will listen and support you.
“I would like to thank CPS Paralegal Mandy Dutton-Webb and prosecution trial counsel Ms Kim Preston and Mr Adam Williams for their expertise and hard work in getting the outcome we have.”
