A MIGRANT who arrived in the UK on a small boat raped a woman in a car park after she left a nightclub.
Dan Tesfalul followed the victim as she left Qube in Norwich to go and buy food after a night out.
Dan Tesfalul attacked the woman after meeting her in a nightclubGoogle
A horrified witness heard the woman “screaming out” as the 27-year-old launched into the sex attack.
Tesfalul had been staying at a migrant hotel in Norwich at the time of the horror in May 2024.
The ordeal only ended when he was challenged by a security guard and he fled the scene.
Tesfalul was initially charged with raping the woman three times but the other two were left on the file after he pleaded guilty to one count.
He has been jailed for eight years and three months and put on the sex offenders register indefinitely.
Norwich Crown Court heard Tesfalul had left Eritrea seven years ago and arrived by boat in the UK in 2022.
The asylum seeker, who had been studying for a psychology degree in his home country, was granted leave to remain in November 2023.
Just six months later, he was out drinking in Norwich city centre when he spotted the victim.
After buying her drinks, she left the club but Tesfalul followed her and raped her.
In a victim impact statement, she said: “It was such a horrible attack when I was at my most vulnerable.”
The woman told how she is now “scared of being out alone in case it might happen again”.
She added: “I feel scared of men and feel they are out to get me and rape me too.
“It’s horrible to feel scared of every man you see when in the city and in the shops.”
The victim also said she now “hates people touching me”, keeps herself “hidden away” and just wants to “curl up into a ball”.
Judge Alice Robinson sentenced Tesfalul to an extended sentence of 13 years and five months – eight years three months custody and five years on licence.
She also made him subject to a restraining order banning him from contacting the victim directly or indirectly for 15 years.
The judge said Tesfalul had “specifically targeted” the victim who was particularly vulnerable and unable to defend herself through drink.
She also branded him an an “extremely dangerous” offender who had demonstrated a “predatory sexual manner” toward the victim.
Detective constable Dave Block said: “I hope this conviction and sentence serves to re-enforce the message that in Norfolk, dedicated detectives investigate reports of sexual offences thoroughly and that courts take these matters seriously.
“I would like to commend the members of the public who intervened in this incident, the police officers who attended swiftly and professionally, and most of all the victim who has engaged with us throughout the investigation. “
Tesfalul has now been jailed Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
