Man jailed for raping woman in Liverpool city centre

Samir Al Tawel, aged 27, from Oldham, was found guilty of two counts of rape and theft in a jury trial at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday 8 March.

The court heard that in March last year it was reported that a woman in her twenties had been raped by a man in Temple Lane.

After extensive investigations, Al Tawel was arrested by criminal investigators, charged with the crime and remanded in custody.

On Monday, March 11, Al Tawel was sentenced to 12 years in prison and a lifetime sex offender reporting requirement.

In a statement read out in court, the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: “It has affected me in every way, physically, mentally and emotionally, and it has had a huge impact on my quality of life.”

“I had to go to counseling to find the inner strength to carry on.

“I have cried, screamed, yelled and gone through every kind of emotion trying to cope with what you did to me.

“I couldn’t bring myself to tell my family. Even my own mother doesn’t know because I know it would break her. I haven’t told my sisters either. We’re normally a close-knit family, but I just can’t bring myself to tell them.”

Detective Constable Becky Robinson, who led the investigation, said: “After a lengthy investigation and despite the evidence against him, Al Tawel subjected the victim to the trauma of a trial.

“I want to commend the courage and dignity shown by the victim throughout the investigation and trial. Today’s findings demonstrate that violence against women and girls will simply not be tolerated and we will work tirelessly to bring perpetrators to justice.

“We are committed to protecting victims of sexual crimes. Anyone who reports an incident to us will be protected and supported throughout the investigation by specially trained officers and sexual violence victim advocates who will provide them with all the support they need.

“Anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence, is concerned about the safety of someone they know or suspects someone is involved in such criminal activity should come forward and speak to us.

“We have a team of dedicated staff who will handle your reports competently and compassionately and we will do everything in our power to bring perpetrators to justice.

“We take all such reports extremely seriously and work with partner organisations such as the Victim Care Support Service and RASA who support victims of these crimes.”

To report a sexual offence, call 101 where you will be interviewed by specially trained officers, or you can pass the information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

If you have been a victim of any type of sexual violence, you can get support through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service, which is run jointly by two registered charities.

In Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, support is available from Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside which can be contacted on 0151 558 1801, and in St Helens and Knowsley from Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside which can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063.