Locations
Bristle Street, Northampton, West Northamptonshire, NN5
Description
A man who was arrested within hours of raping a woman in Sheffield has been jailed for the offence.
Ilias Hassan, 23, of Bristle Street, Northampton, raped a woman at a student accommodation in Sheffield city centre in the early hours of 8 May 2023.
The victim bravely reported the incident to police and officers arrested Hassan later the same day.
At his police interview on 13 May (2023), Hassan provided a prepared statement in which he did not admit to the offence, but provided no comment to all questions put to him.
Officers gathered lots of evidence including CCTV footage showing Hassan with the victim, witness statements, and messages sent by Hassan on social media.
In Hassan’s prepared statement he said, “my recall of events is very clear”, but officers retrieved a voice note he sent following the rape in which he said: “I actually can’t remember anything like. I don’t remember nothing.”
Hassan pleaded not guilty to rape but was found guilty of the offence following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court on 13 February 2026.
On Wednesday 29 July at the same court, he was sentenced to five years and three months imprisonment. He was also given a 10-year restraining order and required to register with the police indefinitely in accordance with the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
DC Alice Watson-Flowers said:
“Firstly, I want to commend the bravery of the victim in this case.
“She not only found the courage to come forward and report this horrific crime to us, but she was also put through the ordeal of a trial because of Hassan’s cowardly refusal to admit his guilt.
“While I appreciate a jail term will never detract from the trauma of such an offence, I hope it can provide some sense of justice.
“We are completely committed to tackling all forms of sexual abuse in South Yorkshire and I want to make it absolutely clear that we fully investigate every single report made to us.
“If you have been raped, sexually assaulted, or sexually harassed, you can report to us in confidence online or by calling 101.
“If you don’t feel able to report to police, try and talk to someone you trust. You can also seek specialist and confidential support via the 24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line.”