Widnes man who raped a woman following night out jailed

Dennis Kiwia appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday 29 September, where he was jailed for four years.

The custodial sentence comes after Kiwia was found guilty of the rape of a woman over 16 at the conclusion of a five-day trial on Friday 15 August 2025.

The court heard that on Saturday 23 December 2023, the victim, a 19-year-old woman, was on a Christmas night out with friends in Widnes. The group had been drinking at a pub in the town centre, with the victims’ friends later going home for the night, leaving her sitting alone as the venue began to close.

However, Kiwia was also in the premises with her.

CCTV footage taken from the night of the incident showed the 39-year-old calling the victim over and to sit with him and, after doing so, the pair struck up a conversation and Kiwia taking ‘selfie’ photographs with her on his phone before leaving the venue.

Further footage would show the victim appearing unsteady on her feet as she got up to leave the venue, with Kiwia seen walking arm-in-arm with her as they walked across the outside car park to his car.

The victim would later tell police that she awoke on Christmas Eve morning in Kiwia’s address, in the Albert Road area of Widnes, without any clothes on, unsure as to how she got there.

Quickly leaving Kiwia’s is address, she returned home to speak to a parent regarding how she believed she was raped, as she could not have been able to consent to any sexual intercourse.

The incident was then reported to Cheshire Police and Kiwia was promptly arrested by CID officers and brought into custody.

During interview, he told investigating officers that he had been drinking at the same venue as the victim and had spoken to her on the night in question. He went on to say that he helped her into his car following the closing of the venue and offered her a lift to her home, but claimed that she told him to take her to his home.

He then told officers that the pair engaged in consensual sex before falling asleep in the early hours, with the victim then waking up later that day and deciding to go home alone – despite him offering a number of times to take her there himself.

Despite his claims, Kiwia was subsequently charged.

Throughout the entire investigation, we would maintain he was innocent.

Detective Constable Gemma Nicolson, of CID Reactive North, said:

"Dennis Kiwia's inability to accept any accountability for his actions not only prolonged justice being served, but it forced also the victim to relive the entire ordeal all over again during his five-day subsequent trial.

"Kiwia maintained he was the innocent party in this case, where, in fact, he took advantage of a vulnerable young woman nearly 20 years his junior who had simply been out enjoying the Christmas festivities with her friends for his own pleasure.

"We treat all reports of rape and sexual assault with the utmost seriousness and place the needs of the victim at the very heart of our investigations, ensuring they are supported throughout every step of enquiries and any following court proceedings."