A student suffered horrific injuries after being subjected to a terrifying rape by a violent shop worker who offered to help her get home from a Leeds nightclub.
Mohammed Ditta, 27, was given a 16-year sentence on Friday over the sex attack on the medical student after he lured her into the shop in the early hours of the morning and threatened to kill her.
A court heard the 20-year-old victim had been visiting Leeds with friends and had been ejected from a nightclub when Ditta preyed upon her.
She had to undergo surgery following the sex attack after suffering life-threatening internal injuries.
Ditta offered to let the woman into shop where he worked in the Woodhouse area of the city to charge up her mobile phone in the early hours of February 2 this year.
She was in fancy dress at the time and had been separated from her friends.
The court heard the young woman was disoriented and vulnerable and was a long way from the hotel where she was staying.
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
Once inside, Ditta lowered the metal shutters and she let out a “blood curdling” scream as she realised she would be trapped inside with her attacker.
People living nearby heard her cries for help but could not find where it was coming from.
Ditta threatened to kill the woman unless she went along with his sexual demands.
Leeds Crown Court heard Ditta was out of prison on licence at the time of the attack after being given a six-year sentence for a bottle attack on a man.
The woman was subjected to a 20-minute ordeal before Ditta raised the shutter and allowed her to leave.
She ran to a nearby house to raise the alarm.
A woman who helped her described her a being terrified and “beyond crying.”
Surgeons who later examined her described her injuries as the worst they had ever seen.
Ditta then stayed behind at the shop, which is owned by one of his relatives, and disposed of evidence, including the victim’s handbag and driving licence.
He was arrested but denied the attack, claiming that sex had been consensual.
He was found guilty of rape after a trial earlier this month.
Ditta, of Gipton Wood Avenue, Roundhay, was made the subject of an extended sentence after Recorder Timothy Roberts told him he posed a serious risk of committing further violent or sexual offences against members of the public.
He must serve a minimum of eight years in prison before he is eligible to apply for release from custody and will remain on licence for a further eight years.
Recorder Roberts said: “You had struck terror into the heart of that young woman. You knew that because you had heard that scream at close quarters and still you did not desist.
“You told her that you would kill her if she did not do what you asked and she believed you.
“That was an instinctively wise decision on her part because what she did not know then was that you had been in prison for six years for the crime of wounding with intent.”
The recorder described the victim as an intelligent, articulate and courageous young lady.
He added: “This particular offence of rape caused serious internal injury and lasting psychological harm to a sensitive and virtuous young lady.”
After the case, Detective Constable Andy Queen said: “Ditta is a sexual predator who saw a vulnerable young woman as an opportunity to be exploited for his own gratification.
“He put the victim through a horrendously traumatic ordeal. He has denied responsibility all along and has shown absolutely no remorse for his actions. He clearly presents a significant danger to women. We hope the victim and her family can take some degree of comfort from knowing he has now been brought to justice.”
