A 'dangerous' sexual predator who raped a 'vulnerable' woman in Swindon has failed in an Appeal Court bid to clear his name and be set free.

John Vincent Magno Fernandes, 40, of Drove Road, was locked up for 16 years at Swindon Crown Court on September 15 last year.

Branded a danger to the public, he was also ordered to serve an extra four years on licence after his release.

Fernandes was convicted of rape on June 9 last year, Lord Justice Flaux told London's Appeal Court today.

Two men were making their way home from a night out in Swindon in 2015 when they saw a young woman in a car park who appeared to be almost naked.

She was lying on her back, 'extremely distraught', and shouting for help. She later told police she had been raped.

The prosecution case was that Fernandes had followed the victim when she was walking through the town before attacking her.

She remembered 'pushing him away and saying no', but he would not listen and would not stop.

He targeted her for his own 'own sexual gratification' because she was 'clearly vulnerable'.

Fernandes' defence at trial was that the sex was 'consensual', but jurors disbelieved him.

Today, however, his lawyers argued that his conviction was 'unsafe' and should be overturned.

Grounds of appeal included that evidence of the complainant's previous convictions should have gone before the jury.

And CCTV evidence of Fernandes following another young woman the previous night should not.

But the judge said the previous convictions 'do not seem to us to go to her credibility, nor are they of any more than marginal relevance to the issue of consent'.

The CCTV footage was 'of very similar behaviour the previous night' and 'showed a propensity to act in a sexually predatory manner'.

The Crown Court judge's decision to include the evidence in the trial was 'unimpeachable', said Lord Justice Flaux.

"We consider the grounds of appeal against conviction are totally without merit. The case against you was very strong," he added.

Fernandes' lawyers also argued his jail term was far too tough and should be reduced.

But Lord Justice Flaux said: "The custodial sentence of 16 years, with a four-year extension period, was an appropriate sentence and cannot be faulted."