Glasgow University PhD student convicted of rape

A man’s been convicted of repeatedly raping a woman he met on a night out.

40 year-old Abdul Lawal was found guilty of repeatedly raping the 26-year-old woman at his flat in Glasgow on March 11 last year.

The woman told a jury at the High Court in Glasgow it felt like the horrific sex attack lasted "forever".

During her ordeal she managed to text a friend stating: "I got raped".

The woman fled from the house and was later picked up by her ex-partner, who told the court: "I've never seen her so distressed."

Lawal, who was studying at Glasgow University, denied raping the woman and claimed he acted like 'a gentleman."

The student told jurors that she instigated consensual sex three times with him before leaving, but they did not believe him.

Lawal said he met the woman while he was on a night out with friends.

He said : “I was just walking along Union Street. She turned and looked at me and said: 'That's the person I want to be with,” and just ran to me.

He told the court the woman kissed him and after he drove her to his flat she demanded sex.

However, the woman told of how she fled into the night after hastily dressing.

Prosecutor Paul Kearney said to Lawal: “If she is telling the truth about the rape that would explain why she walked out of your flat to find a taxi,” and Lawal replied: “No,” and added: “I said she could wait inside. I asked her to stay and she said she had to go.”

Mr Kearney said: “She dressed in a hurry. She said she had never dressed so fast in her life. One of her socks was found in your flat.,” and Lawal replied: “Yes.”

In evidence Lawal denied raping the woman and claimed: “I was extremely gentlemanly” and added: “I don't consider I did anything wrong.”

He said: “I asked her to stay and she said she had to go.”

Lawal claimed there was no issue with his victim when she fled.

But, in his closing speech, prosecutor Paul Kearney said the woman was "far from fine".

The trial heard the traumatised woman "felt sick" at the prospect of coming to court.

But, Mr Kearney said: "She wanted Lawal punished. She did not want him to do this to someone else."

Lawal claimed the woman was lying and was possibly "regretting" having consensual sex with him.

Judge Lady Stacey placed Lawal on the sex offenders' register and remanded him in custody.

The first offender will be sentenced next month Solicitor advocate Jim Wallace, defending Lawal, will give his plea in mitigation then.