Northern Ireland

`Predatory' delivery driver jailed for sexually assaulting woman

Duad Hassan Gedow (34), of Lepper Street in Belfast pleaded guilty earlier this year at Belfast Crown Crown
Duad Hassan Gedow (34), of Lepper Street in Belfast pleaded guilty earlier this year at Belfast Crown Crown Duad Hassan Gedow (34), of Lepper Street in Belfast pleaded guilty earlier this year at Belfast Crown Crown

A "predatory'' delivery driver has been jailed for a year after he sexually assaulted a woman he picked up outside a Belfast nightclub.

Duad Hassan Gedow (34), of Lepper Street in Belfast pleaded guilty earlier this year at Belfast Crown Crown on the morning of his trial to a charge of sexual assault.

A charge of raping his victim was left on the court books in the usual terms.

It was the prosecution case that on Saturday, August 19, 2018, the victim was sitting outside the Kremlin nightclub in Donegall Street in the city eating takeaway food when she was approached by Gedow who she believed was a taxi driver.

He took her in his car to an unknown address and as she tried to leave, he pulled her into a bedroom and sexually assaulted her.

The victim later told police that Gedow drove to another unknown part of Belfast where he told her to "get out''. She phoned a friend to pick her up and subsequently reported the assault to police.

Gedow was later arrested by police and claimed the woman had asked him to give her a lift and that the sex was consensual.

The court heard that as a result of the attack, the victim now suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, eating disorder and panic attacks.

Gedow has been living in Northern Ireland since 2010 after coming from Somalia and was later granted asylum.

He lives with his wife and three children and that his wife was "standing by him and being supportive''.

Belfast Recorder Judge Stephen Fowler QC said Gedow had "exploited the vulnerability'' of his victim who was intoxicated at the time.

"The fact that he planned to be outside this nightclub with his car showed a predatory disposition,'' said Judge Fowler.

"This is not the first time these courts have dealt with defendants who wait outside this nightclub to prey upon vulnerable women.''

Following his 12 months in custody, Gedow will be the subject of supervised licence with the Probation Service for a further year.

Gedow was placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years and will also be the subject of Sexual Offences Prevention Order for five years.