A black British rapist has been sentenced to eight years in prison after raping a lady in Bristol last summer. Yonas Gebreysus was convicted in May of raping a lady and stealing her phone.
The 32-year-old didn’t know the woman, but they met on Lamb Street at 11.30 p.m. on Sunday, June 4, 2023.
He began speaking to her before luring her away to a remote location where he raped her. The jury heard that he then seized her phone to prevent her from immediately contacting the police or someone she knew for assistance.
Gebreysus, who has no known residence, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court today (Thursday, July 4), after being convicted of rape and theft despite having disputed both charges. He will have to serve at least two-thirds of his eight-year sentence before being considered for parole. In addition to his prison sentence, his information will be entered into the sex offenders’ register.
A victim’s personal statement, written by the woman who is entitled to lifetime anonymity, was read in court.
She stated, “I did nothing wrong. A woman should be allowed to be alone in a city without fear for her safety.
“I feel ashamed and guilty about what happened to me, even though it was not my fault. I’m not sure what I did to make this gentleman do what he did to me.
“My social life is now non-existent because I’ve stopped doing things I used to enjoy, like going out with friends, socialising, and drinking.” I no longer drink alcohol because I want to be totally conscious and in charge of what happens to me, and I want to be able to look after my friends.
“I no longer go out after 8 p.m. and make sure to be home by this hour. As I already stated, I no longer have a social life; I go to work and return home, and it appears to be all I do today.
She stated that the crime had a tremendous impact on her family as well.
She continued, “I wish this had never occurred; my entire life has been flipped upside down, and I now have to deal with it.
“I just want to be able to live my life normally; I don’t want to feel guilty or ashamed about what happened to me; I want to stop being scared; I want everything to return to normal; it wasn’t my fault that I was attacked; and I just want to be able to move on with my life.
“I’m not going to let what happened to me ruin my life.”
Judge Moira Macmillan admired the victim for refusing to let what happened define her.
Acting Detective Sergeant Alastair Lea said: “I’d like to commend the woman in this case for her bravery during our investigation and trial.
“She is totally correct in stating that this was not her fault in any way. She has showed amazing fortitude in openly discussing how this heinous crime has affected her life, and we hope that the conclusion of the legal proceedings today will help her.
“The offender of any sexual offence is the only one who should be ashamed or guilty. However, Yonas Gebreysus refused to accept his actions, forcing her to relive the events in court.
“Gebreysus purposefully targeted her late at night and set up a position to make her vulnerable so he could perform his predatory sexual attack.
“The stealing of her phone to prevent her from contacting for help was a deliberate attempt to avoid being caught. It has failed, and we are relieved that this dangerous rapist is in prison where he belongs.
“Our message to anyone else who is a victim of any form of sexual assault and is worried about coming forward, is that you we will believe you, we will investigate and we will help you access support services.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.