Mustafa Akgol 47

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A CHEF who tried for three years to evade justice for sexually assaulting a woman has been jailed.

Mustafa Akgol forced his way into a womans home and sexually assaulted her, York Crown Court heard.

A jury heard they were strangers to each other.

After police had identified him as the attacker and he was charged, Akgol went on the run and had to be arrested on a bench warrant.

The woman had to give evidence against him twice as he denied committing any sexual offence.

But the second jury to try his case convicted him of sexual assault and today he is serving a three-year prison sentence.

He will be on the sex offenders register and disbarred from working with vulnerable people and children, both for the rest of his life.

Judge Simon Hickey told him: A young, vulnerable woman in her own room was assaulted by you, forcing your way in.

Akgol, 45, of Redbarn Drive, Osbaldwick, denied sexual assault.

He followed court proceedings with the help of a Turkish interpreter.

The woman told the juries she was at home on the evening of January 14, 2019.

She heard a noise on the stairs and went to her door. A stranger was standing there.

Before she could do anything he put his foot in the door and forced his way into the flat.

She retreated backwards to her bed where he sexually assaulted her.

Throughout he only said Ssssh, the court heard.

Later the same evening he returned, making it clear that he wanted her to perform a sex act on him.

She told him to leave and he did.

I was shaking like a leaf, she said.

Forensic scientists found Akgols DNA on the womans bra, as well as unknown DNA, York Crown Court heard, and the woman picked him out of a police ID procedure following his arrest.

Akgol stood trial for the first time in November, but legal problems meant the case had to be abandoned before the jury was asked to consider its verdicts.

After the first set of jurors was discharged, Akgol went on the run but was later arrested.

He stood trial again in February.

In the witness box he denied going to the womans bedsit, and said he had spent the evening at another flat in the same building.

He falsely claimed the faces the police chose to go alongside his in the ID procedure were of a different ethnic group to his. But police showed the jury the 12 photos that had been used.

He also claimed he hadnt understood the questions in the police interview.

But, the jury heard, a Turkish interpreter had sat next to him translating the questions for him.