13 years for ‘appalling’ rape of woman with Down syndrome

A man has been jailed for 13 years for raping a young woman with Down syndrome, an offence the judge described as “frightening, appalling, disgusting and depraved”.

Photo: Faisal Ellahi, originally from Haripur in Pakistan, who was yesterday jailed for 13 years for the rape and sexual assault of a woman at his Dublin home on June 12, 2013. The judge said he hopes Ellahi will be deported when his sentence is completed. Picture: Paddy Cummins

Faisal Ellahi, aged 34, who is originally from Haripur in Pakistan, had pleaded not guilty last year to rape, sexual assault and having sex with a mentally impaired person at his Dublin home on June 12, 2013.

A jury at the Central Criminal Court convicted him of the rape and sexual assault charges.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt said he would not suspend any portion of the sentence as he hoped Ellahi would not be in the community on release. He said the crime, which had “carelessly demolished” the victim’s independence, was at the lower end of the upper range in seriousness.

Judge Hunt said the “frightening, appalling, disgusting and depraved” offence committed by Ellahi had taken away years of work in helping the woman lead an independent life. He said this was “all blown away for a couple of minutes of instant gratification”.

The judge noted that Ellahi had been out “prowling” the streets approaching another woman at the same time his victim was returning home. He said some of the most difficult evidence in the case was the reaction of the woman’s family to her “dehumanised” state.

He complimented the victim’s mother on her dignity and fortitude in meeting the case and wished the family well in future as they “restore” the woman to her independence. He added that he hoped the minister for justice would take every step to remove Ellahi from the country when his sentence was completed.

Judge Hunt backdated the jail term to when he entered custody.

The trial heard that the victim told a specialist interviewer that Ellahi locked the door behind them and that she was afraid he was going to stab or kill her.

“I wanted to go home but he wouldn’t let me.”

The woman said that at one point she panicked and started banging on the door screaming “help, mum, help”.

Ellahi admitted propositioning many women as he walked the streets near his Dublin home. He said he would ask them to come home with him for “consensual fun”. He said he also used prostitutes.

The court heard evidence from 16 women who were approached by Ellahi in the area around the time of the rape. One woman who lived across the road from him said he tried to force his way inside her home after she returned from a night out.

During his evidence, Ellahi admitted “sexual contact” with the victim but denied penetrative sex and claimed that he didn’t know she had a mental impairment. He said she looked “normal” to him and that she enjoyed herself.

The trial heard that the woman had a mental age as low as seven in some areas and she required supervision to do everything except wash and dress. An assessment found she could not live independently or protect herself against exploitation.