Description
A sex offender pulled a drunk woman into a nightclub unisex toilet cubicle and attempted to rape her. The victim was unable to overpower the man who pulled down her underpants and tried to penetrate her with his penis.
Olaf Koranteng, 27, grabbed the victim's hand and pulled her into a toilet cubicle in Pulse nightclub in Cardiff on July 3 last year. He imprisoned her inside the cubicle and despite her protestations he refused to let her go.
The victim, who has lifelong anonymity, said she felt "disgusting" after the attack and is now petrified of strangers. Koranteng remained in the club and later appeared "confused" when he was arrested by police.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday heard the defendant had arrived in the UK from Ghana less than a month before he carried out the attempted rape. On the night of the attack, the married man had been searching the internet for casual sex and had used the search term "local slags".
The victim attended Pulse with her boyfriend, arriving at 3am. They both went to the unisex toilets at the club, and Koranteng made a comment to the couple. After using the toilets, the victim was unable to find her boyfriend.
Prosecutor Jason Howells said it was at this point Koranteng grabbed hold of her and forcefully pulled her into a cubicle against her will before locking the door. He pushed her against the back wall, put his hands around her neck and tried to kiss her. He tried to grab her hand and put it on his penis but she fought against him.
Koranteng then grabbed her underpants and pulled them down before rubbing his penis on her vagina. She said "What are you doing, get off me" and told the defendant she was with her boyfriend. She managed to unlock the door and escape. She then broke down in tears and told her boyfriend about the attack, before notifying a member of staff.
The victim described Koranteng as "larger, taller and stronger" than her and said the incident left her feeling scared. She told police "It's wrong, it's absolutely wrong."
The defendant, who returned to the dancefloor, was arrested at the club and told police he was having a "fun night meeting white people". During his interview, he said: "Am I going to get away with this? I have learnt my lesson".
Swabs were taken from Koranteng on which the victim's DNA was discovered and he was seen on CCTV approaching a number of women in the nightclub. The defendant, of Lower Cathedral Road, later pleaded guilty to attempted rape. The prosecution did not proceed with two counts of sexual assault in respect two women in the nightclub the same night.
In a victim personal statement read out to the court, the victim said: "In the beginning just after what happened I was unable to shower having to go to the sexual assault referral centre. I felt gross with the man's germs all over me. I felt disgusting and wanted a shower. I felt disgusting having swabs taken and not being able to have a shower before the examination was awful and humiliating.
"Following what happened I wouldn't go out on my own. I was petrified strangers would come up to me as I didn't know what they were capable of. I thought they were going to rape me like the man in Pulse. I don't know how anyone could do that. I will never have trust in anyone again.
"I was blaming myself a lot and would think if I could have done anything differently but I just know I couldn't have got him off me. I am now going to the gym to become stronger. I have been struggling mentally and I am still suffering now. I think I am fine and all of a sudden it will hit me."
The victim said she would never use mixed toilets again and is scared someone will drag her into the toilets.
In mitigation, the court heard Koranteng had come to the UK on his wife's Visa, which he viewed as a "golden opportunity". Defence barrister Josh Scouller said his client wished to apologise to the victim and was "ashamed" and "remorseful" for the distress he had caused her. The defendant claimed he was "drunk and tired" and "misread the signals in a major way". Mr Scouller said he failed to appreciate "cultural differences" in the UK and "took his behaviour too far".
Sentencing, Recorder Bilal Siddique said: "You have nearly managed to rape the victim having isolated her, overpowered her, removed her underwear, took your penis out and pressed your erect penis against her vagina, coming very close to penetrating her. At the last moment the attempt failed.
"You were clearly looking for women that night searching for, in your words, 'local slags' and spent the night alone in the club effectively trying it on with various women. You were looking for casual sexual encounters that night but that is not what this was. This was a stranger rape case."
Koranteng was sentenced to four years and one month imprisonment, with an extended three years on licence. He faces automatic deportation upon his release from prison.