Court rejects rapist's appeal, finds no jury bias

A man named Jake McMahon, who was convicted of rape and other crimes, tried to appeal his conviction in court. He claimed that the jury was biased and could not be trusted. McMahon received a long prison sentence of 21 years in November 2023 after being found guilty of two counts of rape, assault, and controlling behavior. His crimes happened between February and June 2022, during which he inflicted serious harm on his victim, who even told him to stop. McMahon was arrested in August 2022 after a lengthy police investigation. Initially, a jury split on the rape charges in January 2023, but he was later convicted in a retrial. During the retrial, some jurors expressed fear and concern about McMahon’s behavior in court. They reported feeling intimidated by him. Despite this, the judge denied McMahon's request to dismiss the jury, stating that there was no evidence that they had acted unfairly. The judges from the Court of Appeal dismissed McMahon's claim, stating it was without merit and wasted the court's time. They emphasized that there was no proof that the jury had considered anything other than the evidence presented to them. A police detective praised the victim's courage for coming forward, saying her bravery helped put a dangerous man behind bars.