A Syrian refugee has been sentenced to eight years in prison for raping a woman he posed as a Good Samaritan to deceive. Mohammed Al Masri, 25, followed the lone woman, who was described as extremely intoxicated, through Manchester city centre after a night out.
Al Masri, who speaks Arabic and has limited English, offered to help the woman, who was on the phone to her boyfriend, get a taxi home. The court heard that the victim initially believed the men were trying to assist her when they entered her address into a ride-sharing app. However, she began to feel unsafe during the journey.
The taxi driver later told police that the woman, in her 20s, had passed out in the taxi and that Al Masri and his associate had helped her out of the vehicle. She was taken to Al Masri's home, a house in multiple occupation, where he carried out the rape while his friend observed and possibly filmed the assault.
Meanwhile, the woman's boyfriend, alerted by her sharing her location, had contacted the police. Officers were able to locate the address in Manchester and found the woman upstairs. Al Masri was arrested at the scene in the early hours of December 22.
In a victim impact statement read in court, the woman described the profound fear she experienced, stating she genuinely questioned if she would leave the house alive. She recounted feeling frozen with fear and thinking she would die, with thoughts of her children running through her mind. The arrival of the police brought immense relief, but she described feeling numb and unable to interact with her children or leave her home in the aftermath.
Al Masri, who is a political refugee from Syria and had been granted five years leave to remain in the UK, denied the rape charge. He claimed the sexual encounter was consensual but was found guilty following a trial. His defense stated he had no previous convictions and described the offense as a "one-off."
Judge Recorder Alexandra Simmonds ruled Al Masri to be a dangerous offender, noting elements of abduction due to the deception involved in taking the woman to his home. The judge emphasized that the victim was in a vulnerable state and unable to make any informed decisions. The presence of a second man during the assault was also cited as a factor contributing to the victim's degradation and humiliation.
In addition to the eight-year prison sentence, Al Masri was made subject to notification requirements for life, a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, and a restraining order. The court noted that any potential deportation would be a matter for immigration authorities.
Detective Constable Oliver Smith of Greater Manchester Police expressed hope that the sentencing would offer the victim solace as she moves forward. Anna Mackenzie from the Crown Prosecution Service stated that Al Masri's actions were calculating and insidious, targeting a vulnerable individual. She added that the CPS is determined to bring offenders to justice and that there is no place for rape or sexual violence in society.