Description
A victim has showed considerable courage in reporting a rape that occurred at an address in Christchurch.
The incident occurred during the evening of Sunday 3 March 2024 at a property in the Highcliffe area. The victim – a woman aged in her 30s – had communicated with the defendant via a dating app weeks before meeting socially. They later went back to his address where he raped her.
The victim reported the incident the next day. An investigation was launched by detectives and the defendant was arrested and subsequently charged.
Emmanuel Mukum Maleh, aged 28, of Christchurch and employed locally as a care worker, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 19 September 2025 after being found guilty by a jury at a previous trial at the same court.
He was jailed for five years.
Detective Staff Investigator Dean Smith, of BCP CID, said:
“The victim has shown tremendous bravery in reporting what happened to her and supporting our investigation.
“It was thanks to her courage that we were able to hold Maleh accountable for his actions and bring him before the courts to face justice.
“We take all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and would urge anyone who has been the victim of a sexual assault to please come forward and report it to us. We always ensure victims are supported by specially trained officers and will do everything in our power to identify those responsible and hold them to account.”