Man sentenced to eight years in prison for raping woman in Bristol

A man who raped a woman in Bristol last summer has been sentenced to eight years in prison. Yonas Gebreysus lured the woman to a remote location where he raped her and stole her phone.

The 32-year-old did not know the woman, but the two met in Lamb Street at around 11.30pm on Sunday 4 June 2023. The jury was told that they began talking but the man took her to a secluded location where he raped her.

He then stole her mobile phone to prevent her from immediately calling the police or anyone she knew for help. Gebreysus was found guilty following a trial in May and was jailed at Bristol Crown Court today (Thursday 4 July) but denied both offences.

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Gebreysus must serve at least two-thirds of his eight-year sentence before he can be released on parole. In addition to his prison sentence, his details will be entered into the sex offenders’ register.

A victim’s personal statement written by the woman, who is entitled to lifetime anonymity, was read out in court. She said: “I have done nothing wrong. A woman should be able to be alone in a city without having to worry about what might happen to her.”

“I feel shame and guilt for what happened to me, even though it is not my fault. I don’t know what I did to make this person do this to me. My social life is nonexistent now as I have stopped doing things I used to enjoy like going out with friends, socialising and drinking.

“I don’t drink alcohol anymore because I want to be aware and in control of what’s happening to me and because I want to be able to look after my friends. I don’t go out after 8pm and I make sure I’m back home by that time. As I said, I don’t have a social life now, I go to work and come back home, that’s all I seem to do now.”

She said the crime had also had a significant impact on her family. The victim added: “I wish this had never happened. My whole life has been turned upside down and now I have to live with it.”

“I just want to be able to carry on with my life as a normal person. I don’t want to feel guilt or shame for what happened to me. I don’t want to be afraid anymore. I want everything to go back to the way it was before the attack. What happened to me wasn’t my fault and I just want to be able to carry on with my life. I’m not going to let what happened to me ruin my life.”

Judge Moira Macmillan expressed her admiration for the victim for not allowing herself to be defined by what happened. Assistant Detective Sergeant Alastair Lea said: “I would like to pay tribute to the woman in this case who has shown great courage throughout our investigation and trial.”

“She is absolutely right when she says this was in no way her fault. She has shown great courage in speaking openly about how this horrific crime has affected her life and we hope that the conclusion of the legal proceedings today will help her.

“The perpetrator of a sexual crime is the only person who should feel shame or guilt. But Yonas Gebreysus did not admit to his crime, so she had to relive what had happened in court. Gebreysus had deliberately attacked her late at night and created a situation that increased her vulnerability so that he could commit his sexual assault.

“Stealing her phone to prevent her from calling for help was a calculated attempt to avoid being caught. It failed and we are glad this dangerous rapist is in prison where he belongs. Our message to anyone else who is a victim of sexual harassment and is afraid to come forward is that we believe you, we will investigate the case and help you access services.”