Oldham man jailed for rape and theft

A man has been jailed for 12 years for the rape of a woman in Liverpool city centre.

Samir Al Tawel, 28, from Oldham, was found guilty of two counts of rape and theft by a trial by jury at Liverpool Crown Court.

The court heard that in March last year, it was reported that a woman in her 20s was raped by a man in Temple Lane.

Following an extensive investigation, detectives arrested and charged Al Tawel with the offences, and he was remanded into custody.

Al Tawel was sentenced to 12 years in prison and will be subject to the sexual offender notification requirements for life.

In a statement read out in court, the victim, who can't be named for legal reasons, said: “Every single way that it could have affected me it has, physically, mentally, emotionally, and it has affected my quality of life immensely.

“I have had to undergo counselling to find the inner strength in me to keep going.

“I have cried, screamed, shouted and gone through every emotion possible trying to cope with what you did to me.

“I haven’t been able to bring myself to tell my family; even my own mother doesn’t know as I know it will break her. I haven’t told my sisters either. We are usually a close-knit family, but I can’t bring myself to tell them.”

Detective Constable Becky Robinson, who led the investigation, said: “Following a lengthy investigation and despite the evidence against him, Al Tawel put the victim through the trauma of a trial.

“I would like to praise the courage and dignity shown by the victim throughout the investigation and court proceedings. Today’s results show that violence against women and girls will simply not be tolerated, and we will work tirelessly to bring perpetrators to justice.

“We are committed to protecting victims of sexual offences, and anyone who reports an incident to us will be safeguarded and supported throughout the investigation by Specially Trained Officers and Sexual Violence Advocates who will provide all the relevant support.

“Anyone that has been a victim of a sexual offence, is concerned for the safety of someone they know or suspects someone to be engaging in this criminal activity, should come forward and speak to us.

“We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports, and we will do justice.

“We take all such reports extremely seriously and work with partner organisations such as Victim Care Support Service and RASA, which are there to support victims of this crime.”

To report a sexual offence, call 101, where you will be spoken to by specially trained officers. Alternatively, you can pass information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. 

If you’ve been affected by sexual violence of any kind, support is available through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service, delivered jointly by two registered charities. In Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, support is provided by Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on 0151 558 1801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063.

For women who have felt or feel unsafe in public spaces the Home Office has set up a pilot service (StreetSafe | Police.uk (www.police.uk)  for anyone to anonymously report public places where they have felt or feel unsafe, because of environmental issues, eg street lighting, abandoned buildings or vandalism and/or because of some behaviours, eg being followed or verbally abused. 

Please note: 'StreetSafe' is not for reporting crime or incidents. 

If something has happened to you or someone you know (including in public spaces online) you can call us on 101 or find out what online reporting services are available at StreetSafe | Police.uk (www.police.uk).