A 32-year-old Sudanese man, Mohamed Ibrahim Harun, shouted “f*** England” at a judge after being sentenced for a serious sexual assault on a woman in her 20s.
Harun, who had reportedly entered the UK “in the back of a lorry,” carried out the attack after meeting the woman in a park in Sunderland and inviting her back to his flat for drinks.
He initially denied any sexual contact when arrested, later claiming the encounter had been consensual.
The victim told the court the incident was “the worst day of my life.”
Following an eight-day trial at Newcastle Crown Court, Harun was found guilty of rape after pleading not guilty. He was sentenced on Monday to seven-and-a-half years in prison and placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.
At the end of the hearing, Harun, who had used an interpreter throughout the proceedings, became disruptive in court and shouted at Judge Carolyn Scott: “I don’t want to stay in England, f*** England, I don’t want to stay.”
The court heard that the victim met Harun in a park in 2024, where he invited her and others back to his flat. Around two hours later, CCTV showed her leaving the property in distress.
She then went into a nearby shop and contacted police, reporting that she had been raped.
Judge Scott told Harun that the victim said he forced himself on her, describing the assault as taking place in the kitchen and stating she did not consent.
“She said she didn’t want to have sex with you and describes you being all over her and that the sex was forceful and hurt,” the judge said.
In her victim impact statement, the woman said she thinks about the incident every day. She recalled having been out enjoying time with friends before the attack.
“I was in such a good mood… I went from having a great day to the worst day of my life,” she said. “He just took what he wanted from me.”
She added that she felt her trust and carefree nature had been taken away.
Defence lawyer David Callan told the court Harun had received only basic education in his home country, where he had memorised the Qur’an but was otherwise illiterate. He also described his entry into the UK as “unorthodox,” saying he arrived in the back of a lorry and was later granted asylum.
After sentencing, Detective Inspector Martin Cottle of Northumbria Police praised the victim for coming forward, saying she had shown “immense strength” in reporting the crime and that she had been “preyed on in a horrific way.”
