17 Nov 2023
Govar Abdul-Rahman, 28, scaled a fence and sneaked into the 18-year-old woman’s supported living accommodation with the intention of sexually assaulting her at around 3am on July 24, 2022. When the woman woke up and saw the stranger standing over her bed, he panicked and fled through the window he had entered by.
On July 31, the woman was once again woken in the early hours of the morning by a suspicious sound coming from the now-secured window, and went to investigate.
Prosecutor Trevor Parry-Jones, at Liverpool Crown Court today, November 16, said: “It’s almost reminiscent of a horror film, what she would then encounter. She heard a noise, went to the lounge, pulled the curtains back and there on the other side was the face of Abdul-Rahman looking at her. As he looked at her, he raised one of his hands, placed his fingers on his lips, said “sorry” and left.”
The events followed a string of escalating attacks by Abdul-Rahman on random women in St Helens. On June 26, 2022, he sexually assaulted a woman at Queens Park leisure centre after following her around the swimming pool and into the sauna and steam room.
On June 29, he sexually assaulted another woman at the same swimming pool, again preying on her after following her into the sauna.
At around 3am on July 17, 2022, he followed an 18-year-old woman into an alleyway. Mr Parry-Jones said: “As she walked down, she saw a man following. She got to the end of the alley and she saw the man was still following her. As she turned around, the same man was standing directly in front of her. He asked her how she was; she didn’t wish to have a conversation with him, but there was nothing she could do. He said she was his type. She said no, because her boyfriend was around the corner.
“He asked her why she didn’t think he was her type, then said she was really pretty. He offered her some chips. He kept smirking at her. He then began to try to kiss her. As he moved forward, she moved her cheek to one side so he couldn’t kiss her on the lips. She explained: ‘I just froze. I told him to get off. I just want to go back to my friends’.”
Abdul-Rahman then pushed the woman against a wall and groped her twice before she managed to escape and call 999.
Mr Parry-Jones said: “The victim was extremely upset. She was crying and sobbing.”
Abdul-Rahman pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault in relation to the attack on July 17. Following a trial, he was also found guilty of two sexual assaults in relation to the incidents on June 26 and June 29, and also of trespass with intent to commit sexual assault, attempted trespass with intent to commit sexual assault, and voyeurism.
The Sob story begains…..they all have one!
Charles Lander, defending, said Abdul-Rahman, who has no previous convictions, was believed to be suffering from PTSD after fleeing Iraq aged 19 and claiming asylum. He said: “He had to escape when he was involved in a consensual relationship with another girl, and the girl’s family didn’t like the relationship, maybe because of tribal reasons. Ultimately he had to escape on a tortuous journey which led him to Turkey, Germany and France.”
He said Abdul-Rahman’s father had been murdered, and the 29-year-old had been put in a detention centre in the UK before being placed in St Helens, where he had few friends.
Judge David Swinnerton said: “You demonstrated a complete lack of boundaries, you targeted one woman when they were on their own and vulnerable, your offending was escalating in seriousness. It began with molesting women in a leisure centre, then an alleyway, and finally breaking into a young woman’s flat intent on sexually assaulting her.
“You still deny your offences against (the final victim). You demonstrated no insight or remorse. You have victim-blaming attitudes and you pose a high risk of serious harm to young adult women.”
He sentenced Abdul-Rahman to a total of 28 months in prison for the four sexual assaults, to run consecutive to a seven-year sentence with an extended five years on licence for trespass with intent to commit sexual assault, attempted trespass with intent to commit sexual assault, and voyeurism.
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/teen-pulled-curtains-back-predator-28117523
Govar Abdul-Rahman, an Iraqi-born asylum seeker who had entered the UK illegally, had sexually assaulted two women in the sauna at Queens Park Leisure Centre, on Boundary Road, within three days.
Three weeks later he launched an attack in an alleyway on an 18-year-old woman, who had been on one of her first nights out in St Helens town centre.
A week later, Abdul-Rahman’s “escalating” offending then saw him make his way into a young woman’s flat through a window in the early hours.
Abdul-Rahman, of Silkstone Street, Newtown, St Helens, was given an extended sentence of 12 years, seven in custody with an extra five years on licence for the attempted trespassing, with concurrent sentences of four years and four months for the trespassing and voyeurism offences.
For the sexual assaults at Queens Park he was given two consecutive four-month sentences, and a 20-month consecutive sentence for the town centre sexual assaults, making a total of 28 months.
Abdul-Rahman, who was sentenced via video link with the aid of an interpreter at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday, November 16, must serve two-thirds of the seven-year custodial term and half of the 28 months in custody.
https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/23959074.st-helens-court-cases-shocked-star-readers-november