Man who raped woman twice jailed for nine years

A man who raped a woman twice has been jailed for nine years and told he will remain on the sex offenders register for life.

A jury at Northampton Crown Court had earlier found Mohammed Ali Sheikh, 40, guilty of two counts of rape and one count of attempted rape.

The court had heard how in May 2024, Sheikh, previously of St Michael's Road, Northampton, had carried out the attacks after taking a woman into a property in the town.

After the sentencing, Det Con Elisha Lofthouse, from Northamptonshire Police, praised Sheikh's victim's courage and said: "I hope the fact that he has been jailed gives her some semblance of justice."

The woman had managed to run away from the property, in Clare Street, Northampton, and reported what had happened to Serenity, a sexual assault referral centre that provides specialist care.

An investigation was launched by Northamptonshire Police's SOLAR team, made up of officers who are specialists in inquiries into sexual offences.

Det Con Lofthouse, lead investigator at Northamptonshire Police said that "no sentence could ever make up for what Sheikh put this woman through".

The officer added: "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."

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