A MAN with a history of violence raped a woman at his flat and forcibly grabbed her phone in an attempt to stop her from telling the police.
Nadal Mehemed was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court after he had pleaded guilty to rape and robbery.
Mehemed, who was ruled a dangerous offender by judge Ian Harris, had forced himself on to his “vulnerable” victim after refusing to let her leave his communal flat.
Following the attack, as she called the police outside the flat, he wrestled her phone from her.
He then went on to wash his clothes and take a shower in an effort to conceal evidence.
Prosecuting barrister Tom Challinor told the court that the victim had been on a night out on June 29 last year with her sister in St Helens town centre.
Mr Challinor said “there came a point when the victim became separated from her sister and it was following that separation that she met this defendant who was sitting on a bench outside”.
“He said to her that she probably didn’t need any more alcohol. However, notwithstanding that they both got a taxi to a nearby petrol station where the defendant bought a bottle of vodka before returning to his flat on South John Street”, which was a “shared flat with communal facilities”.
It was said the victim recorded in her interview that “she can’t remember a great deal after buying that bottle of vodka” and she was “significantly impaired under the influence of drink and drugs”.
Mr Challinor added: “The victim described the defendant as suddenly switching, becoming aggressive and he started hitting her repeatedly in the face.”
The victim, who was “very frightened” was “telling the defendant to stop hitting her” and then went to go to the toilet “in an effort to get away”. As she said she “wanted to be left alone as she was using the loo” Mehemed “followed her in”.
The victim then left the room and “entered the communal area and knocked on the defendant’s next door neighbour’s flat to get help but none came”.
She then went down the stairs wearing only a towel and “tried to get out of the communal door” but it was locked. While she was trying the handle, the defendant “came down the stairs” and “got her back up to the bedroom”.
Mr Challinor said that in CCTV footage the victim says “you’re hurting me” and “no I don’t want to”.
She was “telling him to stop” and was “struck again in the face and grabbed round the throat by the defendant”, and Mehemed then raped her.
The court heard she “tried to fight him but wasn’t able to do so, as she described it, she just froze”.
Around 20 minutes after the attack, she got dressed and left the property but “once outside the defendant pursued her because he saw that she was using her phone, she called 999”.
Mehemed “approached her quickly and took hold of the phone and wrestled it from her and the 999 call records her distress as this was happening”.
He threw the phone away, which was never recovered, and went “back into his flat leaving her outside until the police arrived shortly afterwards”.
Mr Challinor said CCTV showed Mehemed “put his clothes from the previous night into the washing machine and immediately thereafter took a shower in an effort to destroy the evidence”.
He was arrested by police and in interview claimed “the sexual activity was consensual”.
Mr Challinor added that in a victim impact statement the woman has described life following the incident as like a “living nightmare, a merry-go-round she can’t get off”.
Mr Challinor told the court that Mehemed had 14 previous convictions for 21 offences, including wounding with intent for which he was jailed.
He has also been in prison for “threatening with a bladed article in the context of an affray” and has other convictions, including for public order and motoring offences.
Defending Mehemed, Bob Elias said he didn’t “minimise” Mehemed’s offence but claimed this was not a case of him going out to town targeting a victim.
He added “she is a vulnerable person, the defendant wouldn’t be aware of that she was out on the town and chatting him up”.
Mehemed, 36, pleaded guilty to rape on the day of a scheduled trial in December, and had earlier admitted to robbery in relation to his taking of her phone.
Passing sentence on Mehemed, of South John Street, St Helens, judge Ian Harris said the defendant was “no stranger to crime” and that his previous convictions “demonstrate an inability to obey the law”.
Jude Harris added: “Aggravating factors are you tried to stop the victim calling the police and cleaned up washing your clothes to conceal evidence and you were intoxicated with alcohol and cocaine.”
The judge noted that Mehemed has been diagnosed with PTSD “due to his childhood in Libya” and he was someone with “poor emotional control”.
Judge Harris said Mehemed presented a risk of committing further offences and would pass an “extended sentence for protection of the public”.
The judge said he would elevate the starting point of Mehemed’s rape sentence and pass a concurrent term for the robbery offence to reflect totality.
Mehemed, who appeared via video link, was sentenced to nine years for the rape and given a concurrent term of two years and two months for the robbery.
He was also given a five-year extended licence period. He must serve two-thirds of the nine-year term in custody before being eligible for parole.
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Chris Kingston, who was the officer in charge of the case, praised the victim’s courage.
He said: “Thanks to her bravery in reporting what happened, we were able to provide enough evidence to prove the despicable actions of Mehemed.”
Meanwhile, Constable Lou Linten, who also worked on the case, added: “Anyone that has been a victim of a sexual offence, is concerned for the safety of someone they know or suspects someone to be engaging in this criminal activity, should come forward and speak to us.
“We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.”
Support and guidance: To report a sexual offence you can call 101 where you will be spoken to by specially trained officers or you can pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always call 999.
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