Man deemed 'threat to women' is behind bars after targeting victim while she slept
The University of Exeter said 'we remain appalled by the nature of this crime'
Last updated 12th Jan 2024
An eight-year jail term's been given to a man who committed the most serious sexual offence against a student at Exeter university - after entering her room while she slept.
It happened in March 2021 and the University says it remains 'appalled by the crime'.
The victim did not know the man and the university say the safety and wellbeing of students remains their 'highest priority'
Adam Mohammed, now aged 24 and from Exeter, was found guilty of one count of rape following a trial at Exeter Crown Court in June. The incident happened in March 2021 on the Exeter University campus.
Exeter Crown Court heard how the victim, who was a student at the time, had been socialising with friends at her accommodation block one evening in March 2021. Several people joined the group for drinks, including three men who were unknown to the victim and to her friends.
At around midnight, the victim retired to bed. As she had been feeling sick, she purposely left her bedroom insecure so that friends could check on her throughout the night. At around 2am, the victim woke to find her underwear and skirt had been pulled down and a man on top of her raping her.
The jury heard how the victim had initially froze before pushing him away. She fled to a friend’s room where she disclosed what had just happened to her.
The police were alerted and were immediately on the scene and an investigation was launched. Extensive enquiries led to Mohammed’s swift arrest just a few hours later on Prince of Wales Road. He was later charged.
During the trial, which lasted five days, the court heard from several witnesses. One witness stated that she had felt very uncomfortable in Mohammed’s presence and had been “creeped out” by him and the sexualised comments that he made throughout the night.
From forensic examination of the victim’s clothes, DNA was linked to Mohammed, who denied the offence. He had stated that his DNA which was found on the victim’s underwear, had got there due to the group playing drinking games that evening, something the victim and the witnesses who were present that night all refute.
Detective Constable Alex Powe, officer in the case, welcomed today’s sentence and said: “Mohammed took advantage of the victim while she was asleep.
“I am pleased that he will now serve a considerable amount of time in prison where he can no longer be a threat to women.
“I am incredibly grateful to the victim and her friends for the courage they have shown and their tenacity to bring this offender to justice. This investigation shows that we are committed to routing out predatory men.
“Our message is simple; there is no place to hide. We will do all that we can to seek out offenders and bring them before the courts.”
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Andy Hingston said: “I would like to praise the actions of the victim and her friends, who have shown great courage throughout the trial.
“I would also like to praise the hard work and dedication shown by Detective Constable Alex Powe who has gone above and beyond to secure this conviction. The team arrested and charged the offender within 24-hours of the incident. I also extend my thanks to the Crown Prosecution Service for their work and collaboration on this case.
“Violence against women and girls is quite simply unacceptable, and as a society we will not tolerate it. We want to hear from anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault, we will listen to you and support you.”
A spokesperson for the University of Exeter said: “We remain appalled by the nature of this crime. The safety and wellbeing of everyone on our campuses is always our highest priority, and our overriding concern has been, and remains, to provide support and assistance to those involved.Â
"While instances such as this are extremely rare in Exeter and nationwide, the University has a wide range of welfare services and procedures in place to support anyone who has been a victim of crime.”