Man jailed in Sheffield for raping drunk young woman he targeted at taxi rank on night out

Mohammed Elmi Mahamed, aged 33, was locked up for over six years for the ‘horrific’ sex attack on New Year’s Day 2022.

During a trial at Sheffield Crown Court, the sexual predator denied rape but was found guilty after a trial.

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Jurors heard his young victim, who is 19 and cannot be named for legal reasons, was approached by the rapist at a taxi rank in Barnsley town centre in the early hours of New Year’s Day 2022.

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The woman had been out celebrating the New Year with friends but had lost them earlier in the evening.

“Our victim was alone and intoxicated, which made her vulnerable and Mahamed deliberately targeted her because of this,” says DC Becky Robinson from Barnsley CID.

“He told her he would take her to her friends, but this was a lie. Instead, he led her to another location where she was subjected to a horrific sexual offence.”

The woman was able to flee and run back into the town centre, where she was able to locate one of her friends and tell them what had happened.

DC Robinson continued: “We were able to quickly identify Mahamed from CCTV enquiries and he was arrested the following day, before being charged and remanded in custody until his trial this week.”

She added: “Mahamed refused to admit his crimes and therefore the victim has had to give evidence before a jury in court, which in itself is a daunting experience. I wish to commend the victim for her strength throughout our investigation.”

Mahamed, formerly of Princess Street, Barnsley, has been jailed for six years and nine months.

South Yorkshire Police can be contacted on 101.