Peterborough: Man Jailed For Attempted Rape

23 October 2013, 09:19 | Updated: 23 October 2013, 09:34

A man has been jailed for eight years for trying to rape a woman as she walked through Peterborough

Khalid Abdullah, 35, of Towler Street, Peterborough, grabbed the victim as she walked to work along Star Road at 5.20am on April 13th.

He threatened her with a weapon before dragging her to an alleyway, pushed her against a building and tried to rape her. He then apologised and offered her his phone to call police before she escaped.

The victim later contacted Rape Crisis, who supported her in reporting it to the police. Detectives went through CCTV and identified Abdullah. He was arrested the following day and charged with attempted rape.

Abdullah denied the charge but was convicted following a week-long trial at Peterborough Crown Court. He was sentenced to eight years yesterday (Tuesday 22nd October).

Detective Constable Louise Spinks, who investigated, said: "This was a horrific ordeal for the victim who was threatened with a weapon before being attacked.

"She had only moved to the UK a few days earlier and showed great courage in coming forward to police in a strange country. We were able to provide a network of support to help her through the initial trauma of the attempted rape and subsequent trial.

"Abdullah is clearly a dangerous individual and we are pleased he is now behind bars for a significant period of time. 

"Stranger attacks of this nature are extremely rare, however this case shows how hard we will work in order to catch and convict people who commit this type of crime."