Man guilty of raping teenager and threats to kill

A man has been convicted of raping a teenage girl in a park and threatening to kill her if she told anyone.

Rocco Minafra, 46, called his victim over to him and took her to a bench on Tunbridge Wells Common between 20:00 BST and 21:00 on 18 October, 2025 before pulling her down a slope and attacking her, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

On Tuesday a jury at Maidstone Crown Court found Minafra guilty of rape, making a threat to kill, and three counts of sexual assault. He is due to be sentenced on 14 July.

Sarah Worsley from the CPS said: "The defendant claimed this was consensual, but the evidence clearly showed this was rape."

She said: "None of us can imagine what she went through that night. It was a horrific attack, with Minafra then threatening to kill her if she ever told anyone what had happened.

"Despite that, she had the courage to report the attack and to ensure that this dangerous predator was brought to justice."

A CPS spokesperson said DNA evidence linked Minafra to the attack on the teenager, who is legally entitled to anonymity.

He was arrested two days later, but claimed the sex was consensual.

Minafra had been cycling around Tunbridge Wells for 25 minutes before approaching his victim, the CPS said.

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