Man jailed for kidnap of drunk student

ADEPRAVED sex predator has been jailed for kidnapping a drunken student after she left an Exeter nightclub and taking her into an alleyway.

Merwais Nasiri, 25, pretended he was helping the woman but his real motive was to commit a sexual offence, a court heard.

She was barely conscious when he lifted her into a rubbish-strewn alleyway just metres away from clubbers leaving Fever nightclub in Mary Arches Street. He then rolled bins across the entrance so nobody could see what he was about to do.

But a takeaway worker raised the alarm and door staff from the club moved the bins to find him kneeling over the woman. No sexual offence was committed but a judge at Exeter Crown Court said Nasiri’s intentions were clear.

“The one thing dominating your mind was sexual activity,” said the judge. Nasiri was jailed for five-anda-half years. He was found to be a dangerous offender and given an extra four years supervision to be served once he is released.

The judge praised the victim for giving evidence at court during the trial.

Nasiri, from Afghanistan, was found guilty of kidnap and committing an offence with the intention of committing a sexual offence.

The woman, who was in court to listen to the sentencing hearing, said in a statement: “It is my right as a woman and the right of every woman to be able to enjoy myself and drink alcohol without fear of something happening to me.”

The offence happened in July last year. The woman had been with friends in Fever but had left without them. She was described as “very much worse for wear”. CCTV captured her sat on steps near the entrance to an alleyway at about 2am.

Nasiri had been drinking alone in Gandy Street before wandering towards Fever and standing outside. He sat down next to the woman, who had her head between her legs facing down. It was clear from the footage that the woman was unable to interact but that did not stop Nasiri making a number of attempts to lift her to her feet. He even convinced a street pastor that everything was fine.

At 3.30am he lifted her up. She was clearly floppy when he carried her into the alleyway.

“He intended to commit a sexual offence,” said prosecutor Joss Ticehurst.

After two-and-a-half minutes, door staff were alerted by a takeaway worker. When they dragged the bins away they found Nasiri kneeling over the woman. He was taken away and arrested.

The woman said her last memory was being inside the nightclub. She said seeing CCTV played at the trial and realising what had happened to her had been traumatic.

“I realised just how long he sat next to me and the amount of preparation he put in and it is really sickening to me,” she said. “He managed to convince people he was trying to help me when his actual motivation was more sinister.

“I feel incredibly lucky that he didn’t get to do what he wanted to do.”

She said the thought that she was at his mercy in a disgusting alleyway was mortifying. That he felt he could touch her without any consent had also left her feeling violated.

“He preyed on me because I was vulnerable,” she said. “The thought there are people like that in society is just horrible. There was absolutely no excuse for what he did to me.”

Nasiri’s defence at his trial was that he was only trying to help the woman and she wanted to go down the dark alley with him. He still does not accept responsibility.

Dan Pawson-Pounds, defending, said this might be more to do with his cultural background and repressed thoughts around sexuality.

Nasiri is an asylum seeker with no previous convictions whose dad was killed by the Taliban. His interpreter said Nasiri’s native language skills are at a child-like level. He was housed at Buckerell Lodge Hotel in Exeter at the time.

Judge Stephen Climie said: “The condition she was in meant she required assistance. The last thing on your mind, I’m satisfied having listened and watched the evidence of witnesses and CCTV, was providing assistance. The one thing dominating your mind, for the one-anda-quarter hours or so you spent with her, was sexual activity.

“While the kidnapping may have been short lived, your victim was highly vulnerable. On a number of occasions there must have been an opportunity for you to seek assistance for her.”

He said he was satisfied Nasiri posed a significant risk. He must sign the sex offender register for life.

❝❝ The one thing dominating your mind, for the one-and-aquarter hours or so you spent with her, was sexual activity Judge Stephen Climie

Merwais Nasiri has been jailed