Rapist targeted drunken men and woman on nights out

Sid Ali Djelid specifically sought out intoxicated people, police said

A man who pursued and raped two drunken men and a woman on nights out before stealing their mobile phones and credit cards has been convicted.

Sid Ali Djelid targeted his victims in Manchester's China Town and Canal Street areas

The 39-year-old, of Gatcombe Square, Manchester, was convicted of five counts of rape in the city centre following a five-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.

Djelid, who initially gave a false name to police and the courts, will be sentenced on 6 October.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokeswoman said the case began with Djelid first appearing as Mourad Malki, 38, which was the name he gave the police and the name used in several court hearings.

She added: "It seems at some stage during proceedings; the court determined his true identity."

Greater Manchester Police said in the first of his three rapes CCTV footage showed Djelid leading a female victim down a "secluded back street" near China Town before raping her and stealing her phone early on 18 February 2024.

The phone was tracked to Cheetham Hill, very close to his home at the time.

Djelid raped his second victim, who was visiting Manchester for work, four months later on 12 June.

He spoke to the man outside a bar on Canal Street before walking him to a remote area near Richmond Street, raping him and stealing his phone, his watch and a necklace.

'Good Samaritan'

A final attack saw him raping and robbing a tourist on 18 July.

Police said Djelid offered to help the man back to his hotel and acted as a "concerned Good Samaritan but his intentions were anything but sincere".

He led the victim to a secluded area near Jutland Street before assaulting him and stealing his mobile phone and wallet.

Djelid then used a stolen bank card at a service station in Cheetham Hill before attempting to make a further transaction which was declined.

Canal Street was one of the areas where Djelid targeted people

Rebekah Tomlinson, district crown prosecutor in the north, said Djelid was a serial sex offender who posed a serious danger to men and women carrying out "horrifying crimes in one of the most celebrated and historic nightlife hotspots in the country".

She added: "Canal Street holds a special place in the heritage of Manchester and the LGBT community, and those on a night out have the right to enjoy themselves free from the fear of abuse and attack."

Det Insp Paul Davies said: "Being drunk is not a crime. Everybody who visits the city centre should feel safe in the knowledge that they can go and enjoy themselves without fear of being attacked."

He said what made his "horrific" sexual attacks "particularly heinous" was their "deliberate and premeditated nature" by seeking intoxicated people and posing as an "upstanding member of the public".

Djelid previously admitted four counts of theft at an earlier hearing.