Woman “terrified” and “physically sick” when raped by stranger near Portsmouth court, trial hears

Mubarak Ibrehim, 25, of St Helen’s Parade, Southsea, appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court for the start of his trial after being accused of attacking a woman in her 20s at the back of Portsmouth Combined Court Centre in Alec Rose Lane between 3am and 4am on Wednesday, June 11, last year.

Ibrehim, a Sudanese national who was living at the Royal Beach Hotel and has an Egyptian Arabic translator for the trial, denies charges of rape and voyeurism.

A police cordon and force car were spotted by the prison van entrance as a rape investigation was launched after the incident was reported. Two days later police arrested Ibrehim before he was charged.

Today, prosecutor Edward Hand told the trial the alleged victim left the Astoria nightclub around 3am with a friend who went to buy drugs from an unknown man.

While sitting down on a kerb as she waited for her friend to return, Ibrehim came walking along before sitting down next to her. “He could be seen to kiss her and put his arm around her and after a short while they walk off camera and disappear out of shot for about five minutes to the (court) vehicle bay.

“The pair then reappear and initially walk off together before the defendant turns and walks off in the opposite direction.”

During the alleged incident, Mr Hand said Ibrehim became “more forceful” with him “pulling down her trousers and raping her from behind”. The defendant then started to film the act on his phone for his own sexual gratification before stopping when becoming “uneasy about car headlights”, jurors were told.

The prosecutor said the complainant was “terrified” and “froze” during the incident and was unaware it had been recorded, which “made her feel physically sick”. She sustained some bruises during the assault, the court was told.

The alleged victim was said to be “extremely upset” and told her friend she had been raped when she returned. The friend called her father who then raced to the scene and called police.

Jurors heard how the following day, Ibrehim messaged the woman, telling her: “I really enjoyed meeting you at the party. Do you remember me?”

The woman replied “no” before realising who was messaging her and said: “It’s you, you’re the one who hurt me.” She then added: “I know it’s you, you were him.”

Ibrehim was arrested on Friday June 13 at his St Helen’s Parade address where he was staying at the time, the prosecutor said. He told police he met the complainant in the street where he started kissing her before having sex in the vehicle entry way of the court building.

Mr Hand said Ibrehim admitted filming the incident on his phone. “He wanted to prove consent,” the prosecutor said before adding: “He said he was afraid of being seen so the sex stopped and he walked off.”

Ibrehim claimed he had not deleted or edited any of his messages to the alleged victim but “police could see some of his messages as ‘edited’,” during searches of his phone Mr Hand said.

Ibrehim denies the charges.

The trial continues.