Anglia Ruskin student jailed for sexual assault and attempted rape in Cambridge
He was found guilty after a trial at Cambridge Crown Court in March
Last updated 2nd Jun 2023
An Anglia Ruskin University student who sexually assaulted two teenagers before grooming another and trying to rape her in broad daylight has been jailed.
Abel Awusah, 20, approached two girls in Mill Road, Cambridge, on 5th May last year. He began talking to them and swapped Snapchat details with the pair after telling them he was new to the area and wanted to meet new friends.
Awusah then invited both girls to his house two days later for a games night, where he offered them alcohol and sexually assaulted one of them when momentarily left alone with her.
The girl later confided in officers that Awusah knew she was under 16 and she had been clear she simply wanted to be friends with him.
Further offences then came to light after a second teenager also confided in police that Awusah had sexually assaulted her.
The second girl told officers she had also been approached by Awusah in Mill Road, who started chatting to her before asking her for her number or Snapchat username.
She told Awusah she was under 16 but he didn’t seem concerned and kept asking her to go to his house with him. Eventually the girl agreed on 12 May.
It was here where she was sexually assaulted on four different occasions, later telling officers she felt she couldn’t say no due to the age difference between them.
A few months later, on 2 July, police were called about an attempted rape in Cambridge. Awusah’s third victim said she had met him in Cambridge, where he had led her to a secluded alleyway before sexually assaulting her and trying to rape her.
The teenager said she had first met Awusah two days beforehand, on 30 June, when he approached her in Mill Road and began talking to her.
He asked how old she was, to which she replied she was 16, and he then asked her to go back to his home. She declined but took his phone number and the pair later met in public.
Awusah was arrested and charged with attempted rape, sexual assault, assault by penetration and five counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child.
Awusah stood trial at Cambridge Crown Court in March and, after five days, jurors found him guilty on all eight counts.
He was sentenced at the same court yesterday (1 June) where he was handed seven and a half years in jail, with a three-year extension. He was also made subject to indefinite sexual harm prevention and restraining orders.
Detective Constable Natalie Marriott, of the force’s Child Abuse Investigations and Safeguarding Unit (CAISU), said: “Awusah’s sexual abuse was traumatic for his victims and my thoughts are with them now he has been brought to justice.
“I would like to commend their courage in coming forward and it is my sincere hope that court result provides some closure for them.
“Tackling child abuse is a priority for us and we are working hard every day to bring offenders like Awusah to justice.
“It is never too late to report sexual abuse. Regardless of whether it happened recently or historically - we will take your report seriously and conduct a thorough criminal investigation in the hope of seeking justice.”