Asylum seeker cleared of rape charges
A view of the Tower Gardens in Skegness where the incident took place - East Anglia News Service/East Anglia News Service An asylum seeker has been found not guilty of raping a stranger in a seaside park six weeks after arriving in the UK from France. Jurors deliberated for more than seven and a half hours over three days before clearing Saad Gomaa, a married father-of-one originally from Egypt[1], of attacking the woman on June 9.
Prosecutors claimed Mr Gomaa's alleged victim was too drunk to give consent when she met him in Tower Gardens in Skegness, Lincolnshire[2]. But Gomaa, 34, claimed the woman did not appear drunk, had consented, and accused her of reporting the rape in a 999 call because she felt "cheap" after having sex in public. The trial heard last week that Mr Gomaa arrived in Britain from France on April 28, after British authorities "saved" a boat carrying him and 70 other migrants[3].
He told jurors he spent two days in Dover before being driven by car to Skegness in the company of eight other migrants.
Immigration status irrelevant
During the trial, jurors were told that while Mr Gomaa had submitted an asylum claim[4], his immigration status was irrelevant to their consideration of the case. Defence barrister Karen Walton said Mr Gomaa, who was living at a hotel less than half a mile from the park, had a reasonable belief that the woman was not incapacitated through drink. The defendant has been in custody since his arrest at a Skegness bar shortly after the incident, but was told he was free to go by Judge James House KC on Wednesday.
The judge said: "Mr Gomaa, you are discharged. Once the paperwork has been dealt with, that is the end of the matter. "What happens with any other immigration matters after this is not a matter for the court."
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References
- ^ Egypt (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Tower Gardens in Skegness, Lincolnshire (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ after British authorities "saved" a boat carrying him and 70 other migrants (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ submitted an asylum claim (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism.
Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just £9 with our US-exclusive offer.
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