A man who brutally raped a woman at knifepoint, whom he had met on a dating website, has been sentenced to 21 years in jail.

Vaidotas Niedvaras, 22, of no fixed address, spoke to the 21-year-old female student online and they first met up for coffee on 18 March.

They subsequently met up a few more times but the victim cooled off the relationship when she began feeling uncomfortable by Niedvaras’s behaviour.

He had unexpectedly turned up at her home and place of work and had been harassing her over text messages.

Police said that the woman agreed to let Niedvaras return some items to her on 23 March. He arrived at her south London home just before midnight and forced his way in.

He then tried to touch her wrist but when she protested he punched her in the face and using a knife from the kitchen, put it to her throat and sexually assaulted her.

Threatening to kill the woman if she screamed, he forced her into the bedroom and twice raped her in a horrific ordeal lasting a number of hours, officers said, before warning her that he would kill her family if she went to police.

Officers added that he had shown no remorse during the trial and that he in fact said it was the victim’s fault that he punched her because of the way she had spoken to him.

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Jivan Saib said: “The victim suffered a horrific prolonged ordeal at the hands of a man who has shown no remorse for his actions.

“She remains extremely traumatised by what happened to her and was unable to sit exams she was due to take. I hope this lengthy sentence offers a degree of comfort to her.”