Two 'sexual predators' jailed after raping and filming woman in her home

Two men who raped and filmed a woman in her own home in a "sickening" attack have been jailed.

"Sexual predators" Abu Musa, 21, and Abdulrahman Hassan, 22, gave the victim, who was "heavily intoxicated", a lift home to Winsford, Cheshire, after a night out on 12 June 2022.

Musa, from Dyke Street in Stoke-on-Trent, was sentenced to 13 years in prison after being found guilty of rape and assault by penetration.

Hassan, from Eden Street, Oldham, was sentenced to 12 years and nine months in prison. He previously admitted two counts of rape, assault by penetration and voyeurism. Musa had previously pleaded guilty to one count of voyeurism.

They were sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Friday. Both men were also given 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and will be on the sex offenders' register for life.

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The trial had heard that the victim was on a night out with a friend at a club in Nantwich on 11 June 2022.

The two women left the club at 3am and went to a takeaway where they met Musa and Hassan, who offered to give them a lift home to Winsford, where the second woman left and went to bed.

Musa and Hassan stayed with the victim, who was drunk, and plied her with more alcohol before raping and sexually assaulting her.

Cheshire Police said they found video footage on Musa's phone which showed Hassan raping the victim.

After the sentencing, Detective Constable Kelly Mitchell said: “I would like to commend the victim for the courage and bravery that she has shown throughout this investigation.

“While she will never be able to forget what happened that night, I hope that the sentences handed out today will provide some closure.

“Musa and Hassan are both sexual predators, they took advantage of the victim in her own home and what they subjected her to was nothing short of sickening.

“They were both aware that she was heavily intoxicated, and they both knew that she could not consent. Despite this knowledge, they both chose to rape and sexually assault her multiple times. Not only that, but they also filmed much of the attack for their own sexual gratification.

“Thankfully, they are both now behind bars facing the consequences of their actions."

Rape trials with no jury to be considered in England and Wales

The Law Commission in England and Wales is considering whether to have juryless rape trials.

The charity Rape Crisis says only one in 100 rapes recorded by police in 2021 resulted in a charge that same year.

The commission has opened a consultation on letting a judge decide the outcome in sex offence trials.

In Scotland, a planned pilot of rape trials conducted by a single judge without a jury has been met with resistance by lawyers, who have threatened to boycott it.

• Juryless rape trial pilot in disarray as lawyers back boycott (Herald Scotland, 4 mins)

In Scotland, in trials for rape and attempted rape before juries, only 51% result in a conviction, compared to 91% for all crimes.

The Scottish government believes this is partly because jurors can be swayed by so-called "rape myths", or outdated attitudes that prejudice how they view the case.

But many lawyers in Scotland, who have threatened to boycott the pilot, say it threatens the right to a fair trial.