Description
A rapist who went on the run before he was due to be sentenced has been jailed for 10 years.
Muarug Abraham Gebremcal, 34, vanished from a bail address in Plymouth after being convicted of rape at Exeter Crown Court in September 2023.
He had been living in Torquay when he targeted a woman leaving a nightclub before raping her in his bedsit in December 2021.
Judge Anna Richardson sentenced him in his absence to 10 years in jail.
She said he would face a further prosecution when he is found for breaching his bail conditions.
Gebremcal, originally from Eritrea, was released on bail after being convicted and had surrendered his passport.
The court heard Gebremcal targeted a woman who he saw leaving a Torquay nightclub on her own at about 03:30 GMT six days before Christmas in 2021.
The victim told the trial jury that Gebremcal befriended her as she sat on a wall trying to call her boyfriend after leaving the club, where she had become separated from other members of her party.
The jury heard Gebremcal posed as a Good Samaritan who was helping her get home safely, but instead guided her to his bedsit on Warren Road where he raped her.
She escaped and raised the alarm after seeking refuge at a neighbour's home.
'Vulnerable victim'
Gebremcal, who denied rape, told the jury the woman had not only consented but been an enthusiastic partner until she suddenly got up and left his house.
Sentencing, Judge Richardson said "significant" planning went into his attack.
"The victim was particularly vulnerable because of her intoxication and solitude," she said.
"There was significant pre-planning Gebremcal went to a club and waited to identify a lone vulnerable victim.
"He chose a route back to his home which avoided busy roads.
"The mitigation is extremely limited."
Devon and Cornwall Police said Gebremcal had family links to Plymouth, Birmingham and London, but could be anywhere in the UK.