County Court: Opportunist fronts court for raping young woman in the city carpark

A young woman out having a good time with mates and her boyfriend was led to Melbourne alleyway where she was raped by an Afghan refugee.

Asgher Essa took advantage of a highly intoxicated young woman and raped her in an alley.

An Afghanistan refugee took advantage of a vulnerabe woman, raping her in a CBD alleyway while her oblivious boyfirned waited for outside a nightclub

Asgher Essa, 27, was found guilty by a jury on charges of assault with intent to commits sexual offence, detention for a sexual purpose and rape.

He was jailed in the County Court for 11 years with a minimum non parole of seven years.

The young woman was assaulted between 1am and 4am in a central Melbourne carpark in May 2019 before a passerby who saw her in a disoriented state called emergency services.

Essa was having drinks with friends in the same nightclub when he and the victim, who was highly intoxicated, ended up in an alleyway.

Asgher Essa raped a woman after a night out in Melbourne’s CBD.

Judge Fiona Todd said Essa’s behaviour against a vulnerable young woman was calculated and predatory. He methodically set about making arrangements to use her body for his own sexual enjoyment, she said.

Despite being interrupted by a car pulling into a carpark, Judge Fiona said Essa persisted and proceeded to act in a way that was totally inconsistent with the victim’s rights to safety and integrity.

“I find that you did, what you did, because you wanted to, and because you could, and because you thought wrongly, as it turned out, that you’d get away with it.

“In addition to the other harms you exposed her to the risks of pregnancy and to disease.”

Judge Todd said the victim’s impact statement was a masterful, remarkable document and a powerful account of the harm Essa inflicted on her.

Born in Afghanistan of the Hazara ethnicity, Essa came to Australia by boat and was detained at Christmas Island in 2012. He subsequently secured permanent protection visa and his application for permanent residency was pending when he committed the offences.