Two Men Jailed for 11 Years Each After Rape of Intoxicated 18-Year-Old in Winsford

Two men have each been sentenced to 11 years in prison after a jury found them guilty of raping an 18-year-old woman they met in a nightclub in Cheshire.

Chester Crown Court heard that on 21 December the victim, already drinking with friends, met 32-year-old Dilgash Adil and 28-year-old Diyar Mohammed Abdulsalm. Prosecutors say Adil bought her further drinks until she was extremely intoxicated and then carried out a sexual assault at Abdulsalm's house of multiple occupancy (HMO) in Winsford. The court was told the woman repeatedly blacked out during the attack.

Both men denied the charges, claiming the encounter was consensual, but a jury convicted Adil of one count of rape and Abdulsalm of two counts of rape after a trial that concluded last month. Judge Simon Berkson ordered both men, who are Syrian nationals, to register as sex offenders indefinitely and imposed 11-year prison terms on each.

Details From the Trial

According to the prosecution, the pair encountered the victim at around 00:30 GMT and later offered to drive her and a male friend home. The friend was dropped off near his home while the defendants drove off with the woman; they then took her to Abdulsalm's HMO, where the assaults occurred. The victim called her mother distressed at about 06:20 GMT, saying she did not know what had happened, and both defendants were arrested later that day.

Judge Simon Berkson: "She was frankly in no fit state to consent to anything, in and out of consciousness. It is quite clear you both took advantage of her vulnerable state."

The victim's impact statement said she no longer feels safe, experiences panic attacks, struggles to sleep and is anxious around strangers.

Background And Responses

Adil, who worked as a shepherd in Syria before the civil war, was granted refugee status in the UK in 2020. Abdulsalm claimed asylum in May 2023 and his immigration status was still under assessment at the time of the offences.

Defence counsel Nicholas Williams told the court Adil had not gone out that night intending to commit a sexual offence and that he had come to the UK seeking a better life.

Det Ch Insp Ian Murray, Cheshire Police: "Abdulsalm and Adil targeted a young woman who could not consent due to intoxication. Although the victim will never be able to forget what happened, I hope these sentences provide her with some closure."

The convictions follow a jury trial and reflect the court's finding that the victim was too intoxicated to give consent. The sentences and indefinite sex-offender registration were handed down to reflect the seriousness of the offences and the vulnerability of the victim.