Sunderland Man Jailed After Teenager Raped
A man has been jailed after he raped a teenager in Sunderland. On Thursday, July 9, Syed Ali, 47, from the Barnes area of Sunderland was found guilty of rape at Newcastle Crown Court. Today, he was sentenced to eight years. Ali was arrested after a 16-year-old girl was raped in Mowbray Park on Monday, December 8, last year. Detective Inspector Phil Bond said:
"Ali preyed on his victim, befriending her and quickly gaining her trust before subjecting her to a horrific attack. He is clearly a dangerous individual and the public deserve to be protected from him. I am pleased he will now spend a substantial amount of time behind bars where he cannot cause further harm to anyone. I hope the victim and her family can now move on from what has been an incredibly distressing time and can come to terms with what has happened and rebuild their lives. Although we know this sentence will in no way help erase what has happened, we hope there is some comfort in knowing Ali is now in prison. We would continue to urge anyone who feels they have been a victim of a sexual offence to come forward and speak to police with confidence they will receive the support they need, whether from police or another agency."