El Fadaidill Ibrahim, Mohammed Abou-Gardda 29,30

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A SEX worker was subjected to a terrifying four-hour ordeal in a Bradford flat where she “thought she was going to die”.

Two men have now been jailed over the incident, with Judge Ahmed Nadim telling the pair they had behaved in a “violent and callous way”.

He said they did not care about the damage they were doing to the victim, but their priority was to ‘satisfy their lust’.

El Fadaidill Ibrahim, a Sudanese asylum seeker who had been living in Queens Road, Halifax, had been granted temporary leave to remain in the UK in 2022 after his asylum applications in Italy and Germany had been rejected, a court heard.

Bradford Crown Court was told that the 29-year-old’s father and brothers had been killed in his native country after the government declared his tribe to be “terrorists” and Ibrahim himself had been jailed in the Sudan when he was just 14 on “fake” charges.

Solicitor advocate John Bottomley said his client fled Sudan in 2014 and in 2020 he had crossed the Channel in a small boat.

The court heard that in 2022 Ibrahim was granted leave to remain in this country for five years.

But in March 2023 Ibrahim and fellow countryman Mohammed Abou-Gardda, 30, persuaded a sex worker to visit them at Abou-Gardda’s flat in Pemberton Drive, off Great Horton Road, and subjected her to a four-hour ordeal.

Prosecutor Phillip Standfast described how the duo assured the complainant that she wouldn’t have to do anything and when she turned up she was given £10 to buy some crack cocaine.

The pair were both drinking brandy and one of them tried to get the complainant to drink some of the alcohol.

The men put their hands up her back under her clothing, but she told them to get off her.

As she tried to leave the flat both defendants grabbed her and Ibrahim put both his hands around her neck and started to strangle her.

Mr Standfast said the woman tried to get his hands off her neck, but he was too strong.

“She could not breathe and thought she was going to die,” he said.

“She thinks that Mr Abou-Gardda could see her face changing colour and her eyes rolling. He tried to get Ibrahim’s hands off her throat, but he was not able to do so either.

“Mr Abou-Gardda then punched or slapped Ibrahim and he let go.”

The complainant sat in a chair crying and shaking as Ibrahim walked around the flat carrying an empty brandy bottle and threatened to kill her.

Ibrahim left for a short time, but returned with a bottle of whisky and Abou-Gardda told the complainant to be “nice” and give Ibrahim a “kiss and a cuddle”.

The woman said she was scared and didn’t want to be alone with Ibrahim, but after Abou-Gardda fell asleep Ibrahim made the complainant perform oral sex on him.

The two men argued after Abou-Gardda woke up and he slapped the woman across the face.

The court heard that the complainant managed to make a 999 call, but Ibrahim went to rape her in the bedroom despite her saying no and crying.

“Mr Abou-Gardda came into the bedroom and said that he wanted to go next.”

But the complainant said she needed another “smoke” and used it as a pretext to get out of the flat where she told a man she had been raped.

When police arrived in the area the pair were both arrested.

Judge Ahmed Nadim jailed Ibrahim for 13 years after he had been convicted by a jury on charges of rape, false imprisonment, intentional strangulation and sexual assault.

Abou-Gardda was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison after he admitted false imprisonment, sexual assault, and common assault part-way through a previous trial.

The judge said the victim, who must not be identified, had suffered an ordeal lasting about four hours and he told the two defendants: “Each of you must understand that in a civilised society everyone has the right to decide whether sexual conduct is engaged in or not.

“This is true no matter who they are and whether they have engaged in sexual conduct previously or not. You took away that right of (the complainant) and imposed yourselves upon her in a violent and callous way.

“On the evidence I conclude that by false pretences each of you persuaded her to visit the flat assuring her that sexual conduct was not your interest.

“In reality it was your joint intention to engage in sexual conduct with her whether she agreed to or not.”

The judge said the complainant had been subjected to violence, supplied with drugs and her freedom to leave had been restricted.

“In conducting yourselves as you did neither of you cared about the damage you were doing to your victim,” he added.

“Your priority was to satisfy your lust.”

Ibrahim will have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life and Abou-Gardda will be on the sex offender register for the next seven years.

Detective Inspector Richard Fox of Bradford Adult Safeguarding Team said: “We welcome the sentence handed down to both men today, they lured the victim to a house and took advantage by raping and sexually assaulting her.

“They are dangerous men who deserve to be behind bars for a very long time.

“I would like to acknowledge the victim’s bravery throughout the investigation and trial. I hope today’s sentence can bring her some closure and justice in what was a harrowing ordeal.

“I hope this sentence provides a reminder to victims that we take all reports of sexual assault seriously and in confidence.

“We have a specialist team of dedicated officers who will support you throughout the investigation. If anyone has been a victim of sexual assault, please report it.”