Issa Brayzi-Pour 22

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A remorseless rapist attacked a pensioner and sexually assaulted a child while ‘trawling the streets at night time looking for vulnerable individuals', a court heard. Issa Brayzi-Pour, 22, has been jailed for public protection after committing the attacks on two complete strangers in Farnworth.

The child said she feels that 'she’s had her freedom taken away' while the woman said she no longer feels safe since being raped, and has undergone counselling. Prosecutors claimed Brayzi-Pour had been 'out trawling the streets at night time looking for vulnerable individuals'.

He had been in the country for about 10 months after arriving in the UK as an asylum seeker from Iran. The 70-year-old woman had been to the pub with members of her family where a boxing match was being shown, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

At one point she left the pub and Brayzi-Pour 'stalked' and 'followed' her, prosecutor Henry Blackshaw claimed. They engaged in conversation, and she feared that Brayzi-Pour was going to rob her.

Ms Blackshaw said that Brayzi-Pour had taken hold of her, and was 'effectively steering her around corners'. But as they reached a side road Brayzi-Pour raped her, during the summer last year.

An extensive police investigation was launched, and Brayzi-Pour, who at the time was wearing 'distinctive' clothing including a 'dark hooded coat and slider sandals', was picked out on CCTV. He was arrested three days later. A DNA swab taken from Brayzi-Pour then proved to be a match to intimate swabs taken from the victim.

The court heard how the woman has suffered 'significant and severe' psychological issues, and 'life changing problems'. It was then discovered that Brayzi-Pour had sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl 12 days earlier, also in Farnworth.

She recognised Brayzi-Pour as someone who had given her and her friends cigarettes a few days beforehand.

When she asked him for another cigarette, Brayzi-Pour asked her to perform oral sex on him and tried to kiss her, after she followed him onto some 'waste ground'. "There was clearly discussion about tobacco and she was lured to an isolated spot nearby, with the promise of it there," Mr Blackshaw said.

Defending, Bunty Batra said Brayzi-Pour has no criminal record in the UK or his home country. He said people who know him reacted with 'shock' to his crimes, and that he was described as being 'respectful and polite'.

Mr Batra denied there was any element of 'grooming' towards the child, claiming their interaction was 'extremely brief'. He also denied that Brayzi-Pour had 'targeted' the pensioner or that he'd been 'trawling the streets'.

Brayzi-Pour, of Longcauseway, Farnworth, Bolton, was unanimously found guilty of two counts of rape and of offences of sexual assault and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. The judge, Recorder Andrew McLoughlin, said Brayzi-Pour still maintains his victims consented to his behaviour.

But he said Brayzi-Pour’s version of events 'bears no relationship whatsoever' to the evidence. "There is no remorse shown by you, because you believe somehow that all these matters took place with the victims' consent, they clearly did not do so," the judge said.

Brayzi-Pour was sentenced to 13 years in prison. He will have to serve two-thirds of his sentence before the Parole Board decides whether it is safe to release him.

After being declared a ‘dangerous’ offender, he was ordered to serve an additional five years on licence.

Following sentencing, DC Peter Hardy of Bolton CID said: “Firstly, I want to thank the bravery of both of the victims and the strength they have shown to take this prosecution to sentencing. We are happy with today’s result and are pleased that the trauma that Brayzi-Pour put his victims through has been recognised.

"Although no amount of time behind bars can make up for what the victims have been through, I hope that it will allow them to start to rebuild their lives and move on from what must have been a living nightmare. A dangerous individual is now off the streets and cannot pose a risk to any other females.

"As a force, GMP are committed to identifying and locating sex offenders to ensure that they face the full force of the law. If you, or anyone you know has been subjected to a sexual assault, we would urge you to come forward and speak to GMP.