Man jailed for eight years for raping woman in Bristol

A man who raped a woman in Bristol last summer has been jailed for eight years. Yonas Gebreysus lured a woman to a secluded location, where he raped her and stole her phone.

The 32-year-old did not know the woman but the pair met in Lamb Street at around 11.30pm on Sunday, June 4, 2023. The jury was told they started talking but the man took her to a secluded area where he raped her.

He then stole her phone to prevent her from immediately calling the police or someone she knew for help. Gebreysus was found guilty after a trial in May, he has now been jailed at Bristol Crown Court today (Thursday 4 July) but has denied both offences.

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Gebreysus will serve at least two-thirds of his eight-year sentence before he can be considered eligible for release on licence. As well as the prison sentence, his details will be entered on the sex offenders’ register.

A personal victim statement, written by the woman who has the right to anonymity for life, was read out in court. She said: “I did nothing wrong. A woman should be able to be alone in a city without worrying about what might happen to her.

“I feel shame and guilt for what happened to me, even though it’s not my fault. I don’t know what I did to cause this person to do what he did to me. My social life is now non-existent like I did now. i stopped doing things i used to enjoy like going out with friends, socializing and drinking.

“I don’t drink alcohol anymore because I want to be fully aware and in control of what happens to me and I want to be able to look after my friends. I don’t go out after 8pm and I make sure I get home by This time, like I said, I don’t have a social life now, I go to work and come home, that’s all I do now.

She said the crime had also had a significant impact on her family. The victim added: “I wish this had never happened, my whole life has been turned upside down and now I have to live with it.

“I just want to be able to go on with my life as a normal person, I don’t want to feel guilty or ashamed of what happened to me, I want to stop feeling scared, I want everything to go back to the way it was. it was before I was attacked, it wasn’t my fault what happened to me and I just want to be able to get on with my life. I will not let what happened to me ruin my life.”

Judge Moira Macmillan expressed her admiration for the victim for refusing to let what happened define her. Acting Detective Sergeant Alastair Lea said: “I would like to congratulate the woman in this case who has shown great courage throughout our investigation and the trial.

“She’s absolutely right to say it wasn’t her fault in any way. She has shown great courage to speak openly about how this horrific crime has affected her life and we hope the end of court proceedings today will help her.

“The perpetrator of any sex crime is the only person who should feel shame or guilt. However, Yonas Gebreysus failed to admit what he did, meaning he had to relive what happened in court. Gebreysus deliberately targeted her late at night and engineered a situation to increase her vulnerability so he could carry out the predatory sexual assault.

“Stealing her phone to prevent her from calling for help was a calculated effort to try and avoid getting caught. He failed and we are glad 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 we will believe you, investigate and help you access support services.”