Teenagers sexually attacked woman in York city centre

Two tourists who rescued the woman from Abdulazeem Mohammed and Djibril Camara close to York Minster are to get £350 rewards each for their public spiritedness.

The visitors had gone for a walk round the cathedral in the late evening when they were unable to get into a nightclub, spotted the trio together and realised something was wrong.

The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, said: “Were it not for their actions, who knows what could have happened. In my view, things could have got a lot worse, a lot worse.”

He said the two defendants, then aged 17 and 18, “were on the prowl” for a woman on her own.

When they found the middle-aged victim, they acted together in a “pincer” movement, and “marched her” against her will up Stonegate, groping her as they did so, the court heard.

But when they reached the quieter area around the cathedral, the two tourists intervened and rescued her, getting her to a taxi and ensuring she reached home safely.  

She had been in the city centre with a friend.

Camara, now 19, of Acomb Road, York, denied one charge of sexual assault and Mohammed, now 20, of Castlegate, East Ayton, denied four charges of sexual assault and one of causing another to engage in sexual activity. Both were convicted of all charges at a trial in July.

Mohammed was jailed for two years and eight months and put on the sex offenders’ register for life. Camara was jailed for two years and put on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years. Both followed proceedings with the aid of interpreters.

“No doubt in due course you will be returned from whence you came,” the judge told them.

He heard Camara arrived in the UK aged 17 shortly before the assaults and Mohammed aged 16 a couple of years earlier.  They were getting support from social care workers and studying English and Maths at York College when they were arrested, the court was told.

Neither had any previous convictions and both had been drinking before the assaults, the court heard.

Sex attacker Djibril Camara (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

Camara told a probation officer he came to England “for a better life” and to get away from the man who was exploiting him and making him a modern slave. He is afraid of being returned to his native country if he is deported and recently lost an appeal against the Home Office.

His barrister Glenn Parsons said he wouldn’t have got involved in the sexual incident if he hadn’t been drinking and he was remorseful. He would be very isolated in prison because no-one spoke his language there.

Sex attacker Abdulazeem Mohammed (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

Mohammed’s barrister Jeremy Barton said he had seen and experienced “terrible things” as a child living in Sudan.  The sexual attack had been out of character.

Mohammed told the probation officer “his life had been completely destroyed” because of his conviction.

The judge said the crimes had had a major impact on the victim.

He commended Det Con Lee Blewitt for the “enormous amount of work he had put into the case” and a “good piece of detective work” and Det Vince Morris for his work in the case.