Asylum seeker raped woman on a night out

An asylum seeker jailed for raping and sexually assaulting a woman he lured to a nightclub has asked not to be sent back to his home country for punishment.

Egyptian national Eid Anwar Fathi Najjar, 21, attacked the victim after meeting her at Vudu Lounge in York city center and taking her to the Shambles Market area.

The woman was described as being in a “zombie” state after drinking alcohol, and door staff at the club tried to intervene by telling Najjar to “stay away” from her as they left together.

Najjar initially denied the offenses before pleading guilty and was earlier sentenced to eight years in prison at York Crown Court.

The victim had separated from the friends she was going out with on the day of the offense in July and went to Vudu Lounge alone at around 02:00 BST.

Inside, Najjar approached her, before leaving the nightclub shortly after.

Door staff described her as “unsteady” and “talkative” when they approached the two men outside the room, concerned about Najjar’s behavior.

Although he said he was going home after being warned to leave the victim alone, he then left with her when staff members were distracted, the prosecution said.

The victim was later found by two members of the public without pants or underwear, and appeared “distressed and shocked”.

At first, she didn’t remember what happened, but she later reported the incident to the police.

“Danger for women”

Najjar, who was living in York at the time, was arrested and charged with rape and sexual assault on July 10, and has remained in custody since.

Charges against another man, who was also arrested at the time, were later withdrawn by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Najjar, who has no previous convictions, initially claimed the encounter was consensual, before later stating that although he believed at the time there was consent, he later realized that was not the case.

The defense acknowledged the case was “complicated, emotional and unpleasant” and added that Najjar, who is actively seeking asylum, had asked to serve his sentence in the UK rather than be returned to Egypt.

The court heard the victim now suffered from frequent nightmares and was still unable to tell her parents what had happened to her.

Sentencing, Judge Sean Morris said “no man could reasonably believe that she was capable of consent, and you accept that.”

Detective Fionna McEwan, from North Yorkshire Police’s Major Investigation Team, thanked the victim for her support of the prosecution.

She said: “Najjar is a sexual predator and a danger to women and is now, rightly, behind bars.

“All women should be able to enjoy a night out without worrying about the legitimate behavior of predatory men.

“I would also like to thank the members of the public who cared for the victim after the attack and the many door staff who gave evidence and tried to stop Najjar from preying on the women.”

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