Alazar Yohans was handed a sentence of three years, of which he will serve half, and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for 10 years at Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday.
He will also be placed on the Sex Offenders register for life.
The Sob Story
His defence counsel Miss Ripper told the court that Yohans was suffering from trauma relating to his passage to the UK, and still suffers nightmares.
His family were Pentecostal Christians, his father having been killed in his native Eritrea because of his religious beliefs.
Yohans and his mother then left Eritrea, and she passed away in Sudan some time later.
Yohans’ counsel said that he lived in a tent in Morocco for three years and had attempted to take his own life.
Sob Stories – They all got one and this immigrants no different
Yohans, of no fixed abode, met the victim in Bar Twenty One while she was on a night out with her boyfriend on October 1 last year.
Detective Constable Liam Theobald, of the South Safeguarding Investigation Unit, said “women should feel safe to go out and walk home” as the force continues to prosecute sex offenders.
During his trial, it was heard that Alazar Yohans kissed the victim without her consent inside Bar Twenty One while she was on a night out with her boyfriend on October 1 last year.
Yohans left the bar with a friend and loitered in the area before following the victim and her boyfriend as they left shortly after.
When the victim and her boyfriend became separated, Yohans and his friend continued to follow her to the area of Luther Road and Rectory Road.
CCTV evidence picked up audio of the victim telling Yohans to “leave me alone” near an address in Rectory Road.
Yohans approached her and put his hands down her trousers and was later charged with three counts of sexual assault.
Following a four-day trial, he was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and was found not guilty of a third charge.
Yohans maintained that he was 18 throughout proceedings, but his representation told the court they were not disputing Home Office findings that he is aged between 27 and 32.
On Wednesday, April 17 he was sentenced to three years imprisonment, of which he will serve half and handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.
He may also face deportation but the British public knows this will never happen.
Detective Constable Liam Theobald said: “Alazar Yohans’ behaviour can only be described as that of a predator.
“Not content with forcefully kissing the victim inside the bar, his very deliberate actions of following her as she walked home and then waiting for her to be on her own before subjecting her to an even more serious sexual assault clearly demonstrate his mindset.
“I would like to pay tribute to the victim for her bravery and commitment to working with us throughout the investigation to ensure we achieved this conviction, and also thank the Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) who supported the victim through this process.
“Women should feel safe to go for a night out and walk home without being subject to attacks such as this.
“I hope this outcome underlines Suffolk police’s commitment to prosecuting sex offenders and also that it will encourage anyone else who is a victim of this type of offence to come forward.”
Source:
Alazar Yohans jailed for 3 years for Ipswich sexual assault | Ipswich Star