A rapist who was chased by his victim moments after he sexually assaulted her in an Aberdeen street has been jailed for seven years.
Mohammed Abdullah, 19, preyed on the 18-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in Bon Accord Street, on August 17 2021.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Abdullah came to Scotland from Sudan in the hope of securing a “better life”.
But he preyed on his victim moments after she left Prohibition bar in the city centre. He had been waiting outside the nightclub in the moments leading up to the attack and taking photos of girls dancing in the street.
A jury last month heard how he seized her by her wrists and restrained her before raping her.
Police became aware of the assault later on. Detectives uncovered CCTV footage from a location close to where the rape took place.
Jurors were played the footage and they could hear the sound of a woman screaming.
They were also shown video footage of Abdullah’s victim adjusting her clothing moments after the attack and of her starting to chase him.
When police officers detained Abdullah, they found he couldn’t speak English and after seizing his mobile phone, they found footage of young women dancing in the street outside a nightclub.
‘After your victim left the nightclub you raped her in the street’
Jurors convicted Abdullah, who was described on legal documents as being a prisoner of YOI Polmont in Stirling, on a single charge of rape.
Sentence had been deferred for the court to obtain a report on the first offender’s background and the risk he posed to the public.
On Tuesday, judge Lord Ericht told Abdullah that he took the sentencing guidelines on young people into consideration in deciding the term.
Passing sentence Lord Ericht told the offender, who observed proceedings via video link: “You have no previous convictions. The Criminal Justice Social Work Report assesses you at being of a moderate risk of sexual re-offending on one assessment but a high risk of sexual reoffending on another risk assessment.
“Your victim was unknown to you. You were hanging about late at night outside a nightclub. After your victim left the nightclub you raped her in the street.
“Your sentence will be one of seven years imprisonment.”
Jurors earlier heard how the young woman had left Prohibition and had met Abdullah shortly afterwards.
Police investigating the rape recovered CCTV footage from a boarding house in Bon Accord Street.
Victim heard saying ‘no’ repeatedly
Abdullah was identified on the footage as entering the guest house with his victim.
From the footage, the police identified Abdullah’s black clothing and blue top and his victim was wearing a pink dress.
The court heard that the victim “appeared to be unsteady on her feet”.
Police studying the footage noticed that when the pair arrived at the guest house, the woman said: “I have never been to this place before.”
He was seen opening the door and she walked back out.
She could then be heard saying: “Where is my bank card?”
Outside the guest house, the police heard her say: “no” repeatedly and then she mentioned her boyfriend.
She later gave chase in pursuit of him.
Abdullah then walked along Dee Street, up onto Union Street. Officers saw Abdullah’s hands “at the front of his body in front of his crotch area”.
Rapist Mohammed Abdullah arrived in country ‘in the hope of a better life’
Further CCTV footage contained the sound of a woman screaming at the time of the attack.
The court heard that police identified Abdullah and spoke to him.
The court heard how he didn’t speak English and officers spoke to him through an online interpreter before arresting him.
Abdullah denied any wrongdoing. He sat in court with an interpreter who helped him understand the evidence given to the jury.
On Tuesday, defence solicitor advocate Paul Mullen told the court that his client has had little contact with his family in Sudan since arriving in Scotland.
He added: “He is a very young man who has come to these shores via a very circuitous route in the hope of setting up for himself a better life.
“He has never been on remand before. He is isolated. He’s had very little contact with his family in Sudan. He’s however been receiving visits from guardianship services.”
Lord Ericht also told Abdullah that he’d remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life.