A man has been been given a life sentence after subjecting a vulnerable woman to a “despicable, violent and cowardly” sexual attack in the centre of York.
Abrar Khan, 30, formerly of Boroughbridge Road, York, was sentenced today (October 12) at York Crown Court for rape and robbery.
He has to serve a minimum of eight years before being considered for parole. He has also been handed a lifetime licence.
It has emerged that Khan was jailed for an attack on another vulnerable woman but was out on licence when he attacked his York victim.
Befriended victim
The victim, a vulnerable local woman aged in her early 60s, was befriended by Khan at around 7pm near Lendal Bridge.
He led her down the side of the River Ouse in the direction of Scarborough Bridge.
When they approached the back of St Peter’s School, Khan raped and assaulted the woman.
Having searched her belongings, he stole £2.60 from her which is all of the money that she possessed.
Meticulous investigation
He said:
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I can only describe Abrar Khan’s actions as a despicable, violent and cowardly sexual attack on a vulnerable lady.
It is clear that he believed targeting vulnerable members of our communities would help him in evading capture.
This outcome at court clearly shows he was wrong.
Removed from our streets
DI Menzies added: “I have to praise the victims in these cases for their bravery in coming forward and helping to secure convictions.
“I also praise my team for their dedication and meticulous levels of investigation, especially our CCTV expert who tirelessly trawled hours of video footage from numerous locations that led us to identifying and arresting Khan within two days of the attack in York.”
He said:
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Khan is a dangerous offender and removing him from our streets makes our communities even safer than they are already.
Thankfully, such incidents are rare, but they will not be tolerated and we will do everything possible to support victims and bring offenders to justice.