Locations
Nags Head Hill, Bristol, BS5 8LP
Description
"You are a liar. You are a rapist."
These were the words a judge spoke to a man who claimed he was the victim, after he submitted a Bristol woman to a terrifying sexual assault. Though he denies wrongdoing, Haithum Alsuliman was not believed and a jury convicted him.
The 35-year-old, of Nags Head Hill in St George, was found guilty of rape following the attack early last year. He was produced for sentence today at Bristol Crown Court. (May 16, 2022)
The recorder Mr Neil Millard jailed him for eight years. He told him: "It is an offence to suggest that you were the victim here...It is an offence for you to say she lied about what happened.
"Mr Alsuliman, listen very carefully to what I am about to say to you. You are a liar. You are a rapist."
Alsuliman was handed an indefinite restraining order banning all contact with the victim. He was ordered to register his whereabouts to police indefinitely and was barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.
Nikki Coombe, prosecuting, said the woman had been drinking with friends and was intoxicated when she caught the bus to her Bristol home. She became aware of Alsuliman near a crossing, the court heard.
Miss Coombe said: "She doesn't remember his exact first words to her but he said something that caused her to stop to speak with him. He said 'Do you want help home because you seem wobbly?' She said 'no'."
With that Alsuliman kissed her on the mouth and neck and, thinking he would leave her alone, she walked on. But as she continued Alsuliman followed her and directed her off the pavement and behind a wall, to which he pinned her, the court heard.
Miss Coombe described how Alsuliman then pulled down her lower clothing and raped her. A car then pulled up nearby, causing him to stop.
The victim said during the ordeal her mind and body were doing different things. She said her mind said she should do something to make the man stop, while her body simply froze in shock.
After the attack Alsuliman asked the woman if she wanted him to walk her home and she again told him "no", the court heard. She arrived "inconsolable" at home, police were called in, and she underwent forensic tests which linked Alsuliman to her.
The woman told police she recalled giving the attacker her phone number, to make him go away. It later transpired both her and Alsuliman's phone histories had been deleted - but forensic analysis of Alsuliman's device showed it had called the woman's device around the time of the attack.
When Alsuliman was arrested he denied wrongdoing. He was then picked out from an identity parade.
Emily Lauchlan, defending, said her client had suggested he was a virgin before the incident. She said her client came from Syria to the UK in 2016, and had been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.
Miss Lauchlan told the court: "Up to this point he had tried to be an upstanding member of the community. He could do in-depth work on a one-to-one basis; that will ensure victim empathy can be dealt with and to reduce the likelihood of reoffending further."
PC David Stevenson said: I would like pay tribute to victim in this case for the bravery she has shown.
Having experienced the trauma of the incident, Alsuliman then put her through the further ordeal of a trial even though the evidence clearly pointed to him being the offender.
She has shown great courage and bravery in standing up to him and supporting our investigation and I hope she is able to find some comfort in the knowledge that her attacker is now behind bars for some time.
Victims of rape or sexual assault, recent or non-recent, can self-refer to The Bridge, a Sexual Assault Referral Centre available 24/7 365 days a year. Visit their website at www.thebridgecanhelp.org.uk or call 0117 342 6999.