Man, 40, jailed for rape

A 40-year-old man has been jailed after he was found guilty of multiple sex offences.

In the early hours of May 28, last year, Mohammed Ali Sheikh, previously of St Michael’s Road, Northampton, took a woman inside a property in Clare Street, Northampton, and raped her twice.

Following the incident, the woman managed to run away from the address and a short time later reported what had happened to Serenity, the Sexual Assault Referral Centre, and to Northamptonshire Police.

An investigation was launched by the Force’s SOLAR team which involved numerous lines of enquiry in a bid to identify exactly where the incident had taken place and who was responsible.

The fast-paced investigation led them to Sheikh, and he was arrested and subsequently charged with two counts of rape and later on, with a further count of attempted rape. 

A trial took place on December 2 which lasted 10 days and ended on December 19 with the jury finding him guilty on all three counts.

He returned to the same court last week (February 14) where he was sentenced to nine years in prison and will remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Lead investigator Detective Constable Elisha Lofthouse said: “No sentence could ever make up for what Sheikh put this woman through, but I hope the fact that he has been jailed gives her some semblance of justice.

“She has gone through a hugely traumatic experience and to have found the courage to report the incident to police and then to go through a trial at crown court takes an incredible amount of bravery.

“I am very proud of her, and I hope the conclusion of this process will allow her to move forward onto brighter things. 

“Tackling violence against women and girls remains a priority for Northamptonshire Police and we will continue working hard in the SOLAR team to put more people who commit sexual offences behind bars and to ensure we support those who bravely come forward and report crimes to us.”

*This report has been released with the support of the survivor, who has the legal right to lifelong anonymity* 

If you have been a victim of sexual abuse, whether recent or non-recent, please come forward by calling 101 or via the online reporting tool at www.northants.police.uk.

We will believe you.

If you have been a victim of rape or sexual abuse, but are not yet ready to speak to the police, please visit www.nhft.nhs.uk/serenity or call Serenity on 01604 601713.

Serenity provides free, confidential 24/7 support.

You can also visit www.voicenorthants.org or call Voice on 0300 303 1965.

Voice is a support service for anyone living in Northamptonshire, regardless of when, where or how crime happened to you. Services are free, confidential and you don’t have to have reported anything to the police.