🔴 DARLINGTON PUB PREDATOR JAILED FOR NEARLY SIX YEARS

Sudanese predator pestered women before launching terrifying toilet cubicle sex attack, court hears, as judge brands him dangerous and jails him for years. 

A man described by a judge as a dangerous offender has been jailed for nearly six years following a predatory sexual attack on a woman in a Darlington pub toilet.

Mohammed Mohammed, 24, of Newton Aycliffe, appeared at Teesside Crown Court for sentencing after previously admitting a charge of assault by penetration relating to an incident on July 27, 2024.

The court heard how the defendant, a refugee from Sudan, spent approximately 30 minutes targeting women before following his victim into a cubicle and subjecting her to a forceful sexual assault.

Judge Jonathan Carroll told the defendant his conduct "drives a dagger into the sense of safety" of women and noted that the 24-year-old was "determined to find a woman" and do whatever he wanted with her.

Prosecutor Paul Newcombe told the court that Mohammed had stationed himself near the female toilets, where he harassed several women by blocking their paths and attempting to kiss them despite their clear rejection of his advances.

When the victim entered the toilets, Mohammed followed her and knocked on her cubicle door while falsely claiming to be a member of the venue's security staff conducting an identification check.

Upon the door being opened, the defendant forced the woman back against a wall, undid his belt, and groped her under her dress, ignoring her repeated pleas for him to stop until a friend of the victim interrupted the assault.

Following his arrest by door staff, Mohammed claimed to police officers that he had entered the cubicle to assist the woman after hearing her screaming, a claim the prosecution characterised as a "dishonest" attempt to cover his "sustained" and "predatory" behaviour.

Although the defendant initially entered a guilty plea, the proceedings were delayed by a year after he unsuccessfully applied to vacate that plea, an action the judge noted had caused further distress to the complainant.

Defence counsel Sophie Johnstone said Mohammed had fled conflict in Sudan after his home was attacked and that his mother currently resides in a refugee camp, though Judge Carroll noted the defendant’s accounts were unverified and he had been found to be fundamentally dishonest.

A victim impact statement read to the court detailed how the woman now avoids public toilets alone and has significantly altered her social habits and clothing as a direct result of the July 2024 incident.

The court accepted the prosecution's assessment that the defendant had purposefully targeted intoxicated females and utilised a combination of trickery and force to carry out the attack.

Mohammed was sentenced to a custodial term of five years, 11 months, and two weeks, with an additional three-year extended licence period after being assessed as posing a high risk of serious harm to the public.

Under the terms of the extended sentence, the defendant will be required to serve at least two-thirds of the custodial term before being considered for release by the Parole Board.