4 July 2024
A man who raped a woman in Bristol last summer has been jailed for eight years.
Yonas Gebreysus, 32, of no fixed address, was found guilty at a trial in May for raping a woman and stealing her mobile phone to prevent her from calling for help.
Police said he did not know the woman but had lured her away to a secluded area on Lamb Street before assaulting her at 23:30 BST on 4 June last year.
In a victim statement read out at Bristol Crown Court, the woman said her “whole life has been turned upside down” and now has to “live with it”.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” she told the court.
“A woman should be able to be alone in a city without worrying about what may happen to her.
“My social life is now non-existent. I no longer go out after 8pm.”
‘Great courage’
Judge Moira Macmillan expressed her admiration for the victim for refusing to let what happened define her.
Acting Det Sgt Alastair Lea commended the woman for showing “great courage” throughout the investigation and trial.
“The perpetrator of any sexual offence is the only person who should feel shame or guilt,” he said.
“Yet Yonas Gebreysus failed to acknowledge what he did, meaning she had to relive in court what happened.
“Our message to anyone else who is a victim of any form of sexual assault and is worried about coming forward, is that we will believe you, we will investigate, and we will help you access support services.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clwy4z1n58wo
What’s in a name?
Ethiopian (also Gebre Yesus): from the personal name Gebre Yesus which has the Christian religious meaning ‘servant of Jesus’ (see Gebre and Jesus)