In the early hours of a morning in June 2023, a woman was subjected to a sexual assault in Warrington town centre, following a separate rape incident earlier that night. The assault involved 32-year-old Ashirat Ismail, who was later convicted at Liverpool Crown Court after a three-day trial.
The incident occurred around 2am when the victim, displaying extreme intoxication on CCTV footage, approached Ismail to ask for a light. The pair engaged in conversation, but Ismail became persistent in pursuing sexual contact. Despite the victim's lack of recollection due to her state, the footage captured him repeatedly kissing her face and neck, hugging her, and attempting to kiss her lips, all without her consent. This behaviour was described by prosecutor David Watson as adding to the victim's distress on an already traumatic evening.
Ismail, of Mellor Street in Oldham, pleaded not guilty but was found guilty by a jury. During sentencing on Wednesday at Liverpool Crown Court, assisted by an Arabic interpreter, the court heard an impact statement from the victim. She detailed ongoing struggles with sleep, eating, and emotional trauma, stating, 'This is yet another traumatic experience I have to live with and deal with for the rest of my life. I am slowly but surely improving, but I always think, why me?' She also expressed fear of the town centre high street where the assault took place.
In mitigation, defence counsel Paul Wood highlighted the victim's intoxication as a key issue regarding consent and noted that Ismail had no prior convictions in the UK. Wood shared Ismail's background, including the 2014 kidnapping and killing of his family by ISIS in Iraq, leading to a decade in a displacement camp before arriving in the UK. Ismail was said to show remorse and insight, volunteers with the Red Cross, and requires further education to prevent future offending.
Judge Sarah O’Brien addressed Ismail directly, stating, 'Any sexual assault is inherently degrading and distressing, and your actions that night very clearly added to and worsened the victim’s distress. The reality is that women and girls should be entitled to go about their business at night-time without the risk of people trying to take advantage of them.' She determined the offence crossed the custody threshold but opted against imprisonment, deeming education and probation work more appropriate for managing risk.
The case was reported by the Warrington Guardian, with proceedings at Liverpool Crown Court. A separate rape suspect from the same night failed to attend court and is believed to be abroad, so no further details on that matter were available.