An Egyptian migrant has been jailed and is set for deportation after raping a woman in London’s Hyde Park.
Abdelrahmen Adnan Abouelela, 42, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison for the rape, which happened in November last year.
Due to his sentence being over a year, the offender will also be deported under the UK Borders Act 2007.
The judge said Abouelela is in the country illegally after arriving in the UK in April 2023.
The married father-of-one approached the victim as she was walking home alone from a night out in central London, Southwark Crown Court was told on Tuesday.
He then lured her to a secluded spot in the park where he raped her at about 9pm, the court heard.
Judge Gregory Perrins told Mr Abouelela: "You thought absolutely nothing of her.
"It must have been obvious to you that she was a woman under the influence of alcohol who was alone and vulnerable.
"You made the decision to take advantage of her vulnerability.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
An Egyptian migrant has been jailed after raping a woman in London’s Hyde Park
|GETTY
The Judge added: "You were driven purely by your own sexual desires. You simply did not care that she could not consent: you just took what you wanted."
He claimed asylum in Britain for fear of persecution in Egypt, his home country, where he claims he was held as a political prisoner and tortured.
Mr Abouelela was living for free in a hotel in Ealing, west London.
His wife and son currently live in Turkey, the court heard.
The married father-of-one approached the victim as she was walking home alone from a night out in central London, Southwark Crown Court was told
|Defence barrister Kane Sharpe told the court that the attacker was diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder and complex PTSD.
Judge Perrins, however, stated he found this mitigating factor to be "minimal".
He said: "There is little connection between those circumstances and your decision to rape the victim on that night.
"It’s clear to me you do not believe you have done anything wrong."
The attacker was living for free in a Hilton hotel in Ealing, west London
|GETTY
The judge further commended the victim for her "immense bravery and courage" in giving evidence during Mr Abouelela’s trial at Southwark Crown Court earlier this year.
As a victim of a sexual offence, the victim is automatically entitled to lifelong anonymity, meaning she cannot be named.
This protection was established by the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992.
Jurors found Mr Abouelela guilty of one count of rape on May 22.