A man who locked a woman he had met on a night out in a car and repeatedly raped her has been jailed for ten years.
Sexual predator Olawale Hassan had met his victim on a night out in Southend on 25 February 2017. The woman, who is in her 20s, was on a night out with a friend in the Varsity pub when she was approached by Hassan who claimed he was called ‘David’ and that he was a music producer.
Hassan bought the woman a drink before accompanying her and her friend to another nightclub. Throughout the evening, Hassan repeatedly asked for her number and asked if she wanted to go back to his hotel room, which she rejected on each occasion.
As the clubs were closing, the victim was promised by Hassan that he would get her home safely. Her friend had left with her partner.
Initially, Hassan drove in the wrong direction along Southend seafront as he smoked cannabis in the car. After turning the car around, the victim realised that she was not safe.
Hassan pulled the car up along Western Esplanade. When the victim tried to open the doors, Hasan locked them.
Hasan then raped her three times and sexually assaulted her by penetration once. Hassan then took the victim home, where she reported the incident to the police and was supported by specialist officers.
Officers were able to identify and locate Hassan, of Falcon Avenue, Grays, through studying CCTV footage, telephone data, and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) data.
The 33-year-old, who was a musician and who also went by the moniker ‘Goldie 1’, was also identified using DNA.
He was arrested at the Seaway carpark on 9 March 2017 and was later charged with three counts of rape and one charge of assault by penetration.
Following a trial, at Basildon Crown Court he was found guilty of all charges on 18 September, and at the same court yesterday (Tuesday 6 October) he was jailed for a total of 10 years and banned from driving for eight years and nine months.
He was also put on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and given an indefinite restraining order.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Victoria De’ath said:
“Firstly, I would like to thank the victim for her courage in reporting this incident.
“When I first met her, she blamed herself for getting in Hassan’s car but has now recognised just how dangerous this man is and that none of this is her fault.
“She didn’t want him to hurt anyone else, and this has been her motivation for three-and-a-half years – to do what she can to keep other people in her community safe.
“Throughout the trial, it became apparent just how manipulative and calculated Hassan was in this attack.
“I would encourage anyone who has survived any sexual assault to report it.
“Specialist officers, like me, will listen to you and you will be supported by our partner agencies as this woman was.
“I hope that today’s result brings some comfort to this courageous and inspirational woman who is now rebuilding her life knowing that Hassan is safely behind bars”.
Helen Walsh, a specialist Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Prosecutor, said:
“We were able to present the case that Olawale was a controlling sexual predator who showed a complete disregard for the victim’s lack of consent. He exploited his opportunity to sexually assault the woman before proceeding to rape her multiple times while she drifted in and out of consciousness in his car.
“Consent can be withdrawn at any time and at the discretion of the individuals involved. Just because you consent to dancing does not mean you consent to sex. The law is clear, sex without consent is rape, and this case shows that where there is sufficient evidence we will not shy away from prosecuting the perpetrators of such heinous crimes.
“We want every victim of rape to have the confidence to report what happens to them to the Police. The Police will investigate and gather evidence, and where there is sufficient evidence, the CPS will proceed to prosecution.
“I would like to commend the emotional strength of the woman involved in the case for coming forward and I hope she is able to find a sense of justice in the sentence Olawale Hassan is now facing for his dreadful acts against her.”
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