Failed asylum seeker raped woman on a night out

A failed asylum seeker jailed for raping and sexually assaulting a woman he lured from a nightclub asked not to be sent back to his home country for punishment.

Egyptian national Eid Anwar Fathi Najjar, 21, attacked the victim after meeting her in Vudu Lounge in York city centre and taking her to the Shambles Market area.

The woman was described as being in a "zombie-like" state after drinking alcohol, and the club's door staff tried to intervene by telling Najjar to "stay away" from her as they left together.

Najjar, who came to the UK illegally in 2022, initially denied the offences before changing his pleas to guilty and he was sentenced to eight years in prison at York Crown Court earlier.

The victim had become separated from the friends she had been out with on the day of the offence in July, and went to Vudu Lounge alone around 02:00 BST.

Inside, Najjar approached her, before they left the nightclub shortly afterwards.

Door staff described her as "unsteady on her feet" and "in and out of conversation" when they approached the pair outside the venue, concerned by Najjar's behaviour.

Although he said he was going home after being warned to leave the victim alone, he then left with her when the staff members were distracted, the prosecution said.

The victim was later found by two members of the public without her trousers or underwear on, and appeared "distressed and shocked".

She could not initially recall what had happened, but later reported the incident to the police.

Najjar, who was living in York at the time, was arrested and and charged with rape and sexual assault on 10 July, and has remained in custody since.

Charges against another man, who was also arrested at the time of the offence, were later withdrawn by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Najjar, who has no previous convictions, claimed at first that the encounter was consensual, before later saying that while at the time he believed there was consent, he then realised there was not.

The defence acknowledged that the case was "complicated, emotional and unpleasant" and added that Najjar had asked to serve his sentence in the UK rather than be deported to Egypt. An earlier hearing was told his asylum claim had already ruled he had no right to remain and has since been closed.

The court was told that the victim now suffered frequent nightmares, and still could not tell her parents what had happened to her.

Sentencing, Judge Sean Morris said "no man could reasonably believe she was capable of consenting, and you accept that".

Det Sup Fionna McEwan of North Yorkshire Police's Major Investigation Team thanked the victim for supporting the prosecution.

She said: "Najjar is a sexual predator and a danger to women and is now rightly behind bars.

"All women must be able to enjoy a night out without worrying about the entitled behaviour of predatory men.

"I would also like to thank the members of the public who took care of the victim after the attack and the numerous members of door staff who provided witness evidence and made attempts to prevent Najjar from targeting women."

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