A man has been sentenced to eight years after raping a woman in his car in Mapperley Park after she had asked for a lift.
Following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court, Farhad Mostafa, 32, of Kildare Road, Nottingham, was found guilty of raping the woman on Elm Bank Drive on February 4.
The court heard his DNA was recovered from a condom found at the scene and his fingerprints were found on the condom packet.
Detective Chief Inspector Leigh Sanders, from Nottinghamshire Police’s Public Protection, said: “I’d like to commend the immense bravery shown by the victim during this investigation and trial following her terrifying ordeal.
“We hope Mostafa’s conviction and sentence shows that we take all reports of rape and sexual assault extremely seriously.
“We encourage anyone who has been a victim of a rape or sexual assault – whether it is a recent or non-recent offence – to come forward and report it to us.
“Rape can happen to anyone – some victims mistakenly think they are to blame, or fear they won’t be taken seriously by police or that their integrity will be questioned.
“Others remain silent out of fear of repercussions from their attacker.
“I can assure them they will be treated with sensitivity, compassion and respect and we can offer them professional support.”
The court heard that the victim saw Mostafa, whom she’d never met before, and two other men after she’d tried unsuccessfully to get a taxi on Sneinton Dale after a night out.
She approached the group, who were trying to jump start a car, and asked them for a lift.
They agreed and she got into a car with them, with Mostafa driving – the two other men were dropped off before Mostafa drove to a garage to buy beer.
He drove off before trying to park on Elm Bank Drive.
The court heard Mostafa had started to put his hand on her thigh but the victim had said ‘no’.
Thinking the car she’d got into was a taxi, she offered Mostafa a £10 note which he took.
She tried to get out but the doors were locked.
She asked him to unlock them but he refused before forcing himself on her.
The victim continued to try to get out of the car and tried to push Mostafa away but couldn’t.
After he’d raped her she managed to get out of the car and when she got home she was met by friends and told them what had happened.
During his police interview Mostafa denied raping the woman.
