University student raped in Sheffield faces attacker in court
“I carry the trauma with me every day”
A student who was raped while studying at university in Sheffield faced her attacker in court to see him sent to prison.
The young woman sat in the public gallery of Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday, July 29, supported by her family as Ilias Hassan was sentenced for his crimes.
Hassan, aged 23, had denied rape but was found guilty following a trial at the same court in February this year.
He was joined by his mother, aunt and girlfriend at the sentencing, who also sat in the public gallery as the sex attacker discovered his fate.
Passing sentence, Recorder Simon Eckersley said: “The conviction, or the consequences of this conviction, will affect you for the rest of your life - but as you have heard it will affect [the victim’s] too.”
The court heard how in May 2023, Hassan had met his victim while the two were studying at university in Sheffield.
They were known to each other and had previously had sex, the court was told.
On the night of the rape, they returned to Hassan’s room where they began having consensual sex, however the victim then asked for him to stop.
“She told you that she needed a break, but you did not respond,” the judge added.
He went on to say: “She spoke to you again and you kept going.
“She couldn’t give an exact number of times that she told to get off her. What is certain is she said it more than once and loud enough for you to hear and you ignored her.”
A statement written by the victim, read in court by prosecuting barrister Mark Thomas, explained how the trauma of that night still haunts her.
“What you did to me has affected every part of my life over the past two years,” she said.
“I carry the trauma with me every day.”
The statement went on to say how the victim feels “shame” and constant anxiety, which has led her using anti-depressants as she tries to move on with her life.
“Now, following this decision, I feel I may finally have the chance to begin rebuilding my life and find a sense of peace that has been taken from me for so long,” she said.
The court heard Hassan, who was 19 at the time of the attack, could not remember the incident as he was drunk and had smoked cannabis at the time.
The judge explained that the fact the sexual encounter had started as consensual had “no bearing” on his sentence, adding: “It is entirely up to a person, man or woman, to begin consensual activity and decide to stop.”
Family members provided character references describing Hassan as “respectful,” “responsible” and “hardworking”.
He has no previous convictions, with the judge describing the offence as “out of character.”
He jailed Hassan for five years and three months.
The judge also imposed a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting the victim for 10 years.
Before leaving the court, the judge said: “I would like to express my gratitude to both parents of the defendant and [the victim] and their family for their demeanour and the respect they have shown to the court throughout this process.”