Manchester rape: Man jailed for attacking woman on night out

Sajjad Sultan has been jailed for 10 years

A man who raped a woman while she was trying to get home after a night out has been jailed.

Sajjad Sultan, 26, subjected the 24-year-old victim to a 40-minute "petrifying ordeal" under a tunnel in Manchester in the early hours of 16 October 2018, police said.

Officers said he had befriended her after the woman became separated from friends in the Gay Village.

Sultan was convicted of rape and jailed at Manchester Crown Court for 10 years.

Greater Manchester Police said Sultan offered to walk the victim to a taxi rank and they agreed to walk along the canal tow path to get to Deansgate Lock.

When they entered the tunnel near Princess Street, he grabbed and attacked her.

The woman was so scared she was unable to shout for help, police said.

'Shocking and horrific'

Following the attack, Sultan and the victim made their way towards Piccadilly Gardens, where the victim managed to separate from him and call her mum who collected her from a bus station.

Sultan, of Shrewsbury Street in Old Trafford, was arrested on 30 November 2018 and convicted by a jury of rape and sexual assault on Monday.

Det Con Thomas Small said women's safety was a top priority for the police and added it was something the force would "continue to take incredibly seriously".

"I would like to thank the victim for coming forward to speak with police about this shocking and horrific incident," he added.

"We want all members of our community, especially women and girls, to feel they are not at risk of harm when simply walking the streets of Manchester and going about their daily lives."

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