Pregnant woman raped in own bed by predator who climbed in through window - Leeds Crown Court

Aryan Rashidi was given a life a sentence today after a court heard he also tried to commit a sex attack on another victim as she slept in bed with her husband and their baby was in a cot in the same room.

A court heard both victims had been left deeply traumatised and have had to move as they no longer felt safe in their homes.

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Leeds Crown Court was told Rashidi, an Afghan national who had entered the UK illegally, had been assessed as “highly predatory” and prepared to take risks to fulfill his sexual needs.

David Hall, prosecuting, said Rashidi preyed on a pregnant woman as she slept in bed at her home near to Wakefield city centre on October 5, 2016.

Mr Hall said the victim’s partner was asleep in another room at the time of the attack.

She awoke at 2.30am to find Rashidi on top of her, holding a knife to her throat.

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The woman told Rashidi to take her money or laptop but he continued with the sex attack before leaving.

Police were contacted and Rashidi was arrested near to the hostel where he was staying.

The prosecutor said Rashidi also targeted a woman as she was asleep at her family home in Bradford on June 14, 2016.

Rashidi used a ladder to climb to the bathroom window before entering the property.

The woman, who was in bed with her husband, awoke to find Rashidi pulling at her pyjama bottoms.

Mr Hall said the woman pretended to be asleep as she feared Rashidi may be armed.

Her baby was asleep in a cot beside her and another child was sleeping in a different room.

She managed to wake her husband and Rashidi ran off, leaving a shoe at the scene.

Rashidi’s fingerprint was also found at the property but police could not link him to the incident until after he he was arrested for the rape as he had no criminal record in the UK.

Rashidi, who had entered the country illegally in a lorry, said he did not know his date of birth when arrested and tried to claim he has aged 15 or 16.

A dental examination showed Rashidi is aged likely to be aged 22.

He pleaded guilty to rape and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence.

Robert Stevenson, mitigating, said Rashidi now accepted that he was aged over 18.

Mr Stevenson said Rashidi had experienced a traumatic life in Afghanistan before coming to the UK.

He said: “He has known nothing but a war-torn and lawless country.

“It seems throughout these proceedings there has been a reluctance on his part to talk about his past and to talk about the things that he has seen.

“Rather than just being evil, he is the product of a somewhat traumatic past.”

Judge Neil Clark said he was imposing a life sentence as he believed Rashidi posed a serious danger to the public.

He said: “Your offending is of the most serious and frightening type.

“It’s very nature points to the level of danger you present to the public.

“It is hard to begin to imagine more terrifying or humiliating offending than this.”

Rashidi was told he must serve a minimum of five years, eight months, in custody before he is eligible to apply for parole.

Judge Clark told Rashidi he would only be released if he was no longer considered a danger to the public.

He warned him that it was possible he would remain in prison for the rest of his life.