A man has today been jailed for seven years after a “horrific and violent sexual attack” on a prostitute in Luton.
Ali Hafeez, 19, of Flint Close, Luton, was found guilty of two counts of rape and one count of robbery following the incident on 8 June 2013.
On the evening of the attack, the victim was picked up by Hafeez and taken to an industrial estate car park where he raped her twice, before robbing her of her mobile phone and money.
The victim was able to identify Hafeez’s registration number, which later led to his arrest, and he was found guilty on 27 October 2014.
DC Wayne Bird, the investigating officer for the case, said: “This was a horrific and violent sexual attack by a dangerous man and we hope this sentence acts as a deterrent to other young men who think that rape is acceptable.
“Thanks to the bravery of the woman in coming forward, and the hard work of both our officers and the CPS, Hafeez will not be able to inflict any further crimes on innocent victims.
“At Bedfordshire Police we are committed to protecting people and fighting crime together, and we will continue to take the issue of rape very seriously, investigating all allegations thoroughly and ensuring that justice is done.”
Adrian Foster, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “This case involved a violent and sustained sexual attack on a woman, by a law student, in Luton in June last year.
“On 8 June 2013, the victim, who was working as a prostitute in Luton, was picked up by Ali Hafeez, who was driving his father’s car. He took her to an industrial estate car park, threatened her, overpowered her, and then forcefully raped her. He stole cash from her and her mobile phone, so she couldn’t call the police, and then used the phone to make a hoax call to the police. After being released from her ordeal, the victim called the police from a phone box and told them the registration of the vehicle, which led to Hafeez’s arrest.
“Despite pleading not guilty and trying to implicate his own father, Ali Hafeez was found guilty on 27 October 2014, of two counts of rape and one count of robbery following a week-long trial at St Albans Crown Court. Hafeez is undoubtedly an extremely ruthless, violent and dangerous man.
“What the victim had to endure is unthinkable and I would like to praise her for her courage and bravery in coming forward, reporting the incident to the police and giving evidence during the trial.
“The CPS takes all allegations of rape and sexual offences seriously and has specialist rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) prosecutors who have expertise in dealing with sexual offences cases. We work with the police and the courts to ensure that victims are given the best possible support during the court process. Cases of rape and other serious sexual offences are among the most difficult cases that we deal with and need to be dealt with very sensitively. We will continue to vigorously prosecute all such offenders.
“I hope that the conviction and today’s sentence gives some sense of justice to the victim, so she can now put this unpleasant episode behind her and move on with her life with the knowledge that the person who subjected her to this terrible ordeal has been brought to justice. Our thoughts are very much with her at this time.”