Valet jailed for limousine rape

A valet who admitted raping a drunken woman as she slept in a limousine has been jailed for seven years.

Mansour Asakereh, 33, of Ibeson Road, West Hampstead, north London, attacked the woman when she was dropped off at the hire car depot where he worked.

London's Southwark Crown Court heard the 33-year-old victim woke up a few minutes later with him on top of her.

She said she had attempted suicide "more times than I can remember" since the attack in August 2001.

Kerb-crawling

The court heard that the woman, an advertising executive, had spent the evening drinking at a party before being offered a lift home by a chauffeur.

Instead of running her home as promised, the driver returned to his depot where his colleague Asakereh targeted his helpless victim.

After the assault she made her own way home but was unable to describe her attacker or say where the assault had taken place due to the amount of alcohol she had consumed.

Asakereh was identified by a DNA match when he was arrested for kerb-crawling five years later.

Passing sentence, Judge John Price told Asakereh: "This was an appalling, painful stranger rape.

I only sleep two hours a night - the flashbacks are horrendous Rape victim

"You took advantage of a woman, who had taken a substantial amount of drink... I regard this as an extremely appalling piece of behaviour."

In an impact statement read to the court the woman said the ordeal had "completely ruined my life".

"I had a good job, well-paid, in London, was happy and successful, and in a stable relationship."

She said she had spent 19 weeks in a mental hospital, has had to give up work, move home and leave her childhood sweetheart.

"It drove me to a complete mental breakdown... I only sleep two hours a night - the flashbacks are horrendous," she said.