PETERBOROUGH RHUBARB BRIDGE RAPIST JAILED FIVE YEARS AFTER ATTACKING TWO WOMEN
A rapist who targeted two women on a Peterborough footpath five years ago has now been jailed.Awais Rehman, now 20 and who was legally allowed to be named for the first time earlier this year, was sentenced to six years and two months in prison in court on Tuesday, October 25.
Awais Rehman, 20, previously of Watergall, Bretton, Peterborough raped a woman on the morning of September 30, 2017 and sexually assaulted and robbed another woman on October 6.
Both crimes took place on the Bretton Way cycle path, near Rhubarb Bridge in Peterborough.
The investigation into these crimes was later featured on the Channel 4 series 24 Hours in Police Custody.
In November 2018 he was ruled not fit to stand trial but was tried in his absence at Cambridge Crown Court where jurors ruled he did commit the rape and sexual assault.
In May 2019, when Rehman was 17, he was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order, however, was deemed fit to plead late last year.
He appeared at Cambridge Crown Court on July 22, where he pleaded guilty to rape, threatening a person with a blade, robbery and two counts of sexual assault.
On Tuesday, October 25, at the same court and five years after his crimes, Rehman was sentenced to a total of six years and two months in prison, with a further eight years on licence.
He was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and a restraining order preventing him from contacting his victims – both will run indefinitely.
At the sentencing, Judge Mark Bishop considered the significant degree of planning that Rehman had undertaken to carry out the sexual assaults, including the fact he was loitering in the area and had armed himself with a knife.
He also took into account the psychological impact on both victims involved in the case.
The first offence took place on September 30, 2017, when the first victim, a 24-year-old woman was walking along the Peterborough path and saw Rehman running up behind her.
He pulled a large kitchen knife from his trousers, and the woman screamed but was told to be quiet by Rehman, who then forced her into some nearby bushes and raped her.
The woman managed to run away before reporting the incident to the police.
DNA found on the victim’s shirt was later recovered and analysed, with forensic experts stating there was a “one in a billion” chance it did not belong to Rehman.
The second incident took place on October 6, at around 1pm when another woman was walking along the same footpath when Rehman approached her from behind and slapped her bottom.
He grabbed her by the arms and told her, “I’m going to take your bag”, before snatching her handbag and running off.
The handbag was later recovered from some nearby bushes by officers where they found the victim’s purse, containing her bank cards and £20 were missing.
The incident lasted about 10 minutes.
In a police interview, Rehman claimed the sex with his first victim was consensual.
He answered no comment to all other questions.
