UK MIGRANT JAILED FOR RAPE IN HYDE PARK
An asylum seeker from Egypt, Abdelrahmen Adnan Abouelela, 42, who entered the UK illegally and claimed asylum fearing persecution in Egypt, has been sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison for raping a woman in Hyde Park, London.The incident occurred in November last year when he approached the victim as she was walking home alone from a night out around 9pm.
He then lured her to a secluded area in the park where he assaulted her sexually.
The case was heard at Southwark Crown Court, where the judge Gregory Perrins sentenced him to the custodial term, stating: “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 also noted that Abouelela is in the country illegally, having arrived in April 2023, and had claimed asylum based on fears of political persecution and torture in Egypt, where he alleges he was held as a political prisoner.
His wife and son currently reside in Turkey.
Abouelela was diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder and complex PTSD, but the judge considered this to be a minimal mitigating factor, adding: “There is little connection between those circumstances and your decision to rape the victim.” The victim was praised for her bravery in giving evidence.
Because he received a sentence of more than 12 months, he will face an automatic deportation order under the UK Borders Act 2007.
The article also notes that the location where he stayed was a hotel in Ealing, now converted into a migrant hotel, which has been controversial for local businesses.
