An asylum seeker who entered the UK illegally has been jailed for raping a woman in London’s Hyde Park.
Abdelrahmen Adnan Abouelela, 42, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison for the rape, which happened in November last year.
The married father-of-one approached the victim as she was walking home alone from a night-out in central London at about 9pm and lured her to a secluded spot in the park where he raped her, Southwark Crown Court was told on Tuesday.
“You thought absolutely nothing of her,” judge Gregory Perrins told the defendant, whose address was given as a Hilton hotel in Ealing, west London.
“It must have been obvious to you that she was a woman under the influence of alcohol who was alone and vulnerable. You made the decision to take advantage of her vulnerability.
“You were driven purely by your own sexual desires. You simply did not care that she could not consent: you just took what you wanted.”
The judge said Abouelela is in the country illegally. He arrived in the UK in April 2023 and claimed asylum for fear of persecution in Egypt – his home country – where he claims he was held as a political prisoner and tortured.
His wife and son currently live in Turkey, the court heard.
Abouelela was subsequently diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder and complex PTSD, defence barrister Kane Sharpe told the court.
Judge Perrins, however, stated he found this mitigating factor to be “minimal”, adding: “There is little connection between those circumstances and your decision to rape the victim on that night.
“It’s clear to me you do not believe you have done anything wrong.”
The judge further commended the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, for her “immense bravery and courage” in giving evidence during Abouelela’s trial at Southwark Crown Court earlier this year.
Jurors found Abouelela guilty of one count of rape on May 22.
Because he was given a prison sentence of more than 12 months, Abouelela will be subject to an automatic deportation order under the UK Borders Act 2007.