Man on the run found guilty of rape of young person in Warrington

The trial of the accused Jafar Mohammed went ahead despite his absence last Tuesday.

A jury heard how the defendant appeared for the initial court hearing at Warrington Magistrates Court but has been missing from every hearing since and has been untraceable.

Leads followed by Cheshire Police included the possibility of Mohammed having left the country and taking residence in Germany where he has family links.

The 33-year-old has been found guilty by a jury verdict of one count of rape and one count of sexual assault, this Thursday.

The incident took place on September 9, 2022, on Buttermarket Street in Warrington.

Scene of the incident on Buttermarket Street (Image: Newsquest)
Simon Rogers, prosecuting, told a jury at Liverpool Crown Court how Mohammed’s victim had been on a night out with friends when they were approached by the defendant at the Porters Ale House on Buttermarket Street.

Mohammed asked his victim if they were single and if he could kiss them, before proceeding to kiss them.

Mr Rogers told the jury the complainant ‘froze’. He said that later on that evening the defendant approached the individual again and kissed them.

“He grabbed them by the hand and led them away,” Mr Rogers recalled. “He took them through the pub and outside and down an alleyway.”

The complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said they froze and did not try to escape or resist out of fear.

Mohammed sexually assaulted his victim without consent down the alleyway of the establishment.

A jury heard how the victim’s friends came out to check if they were okay, but the individual said they were ‘too afraid to shout that they were in trouble’.

Wanted man, Jafar Mohammed (Image: Cheshire Police)
They returned to the pub shortly after and Mohammed again tried to take the victim outside, but they denied the request to his dismay.

He entered his mobile number into the victim’s phone, it was said, and tried to call them later that evening.

The victim messaged their mum to inform them they had been raped and called the police shortly after, providing a description of Mohammed.

He was arrested the same day.

DNA swabs taken from the complainant matched that of the defendant.

Due to the absence of the defendant from court proceedings, his defence counsel pulled out of the case, and therefore he had no representation.

Witnesses were heard giving evidence throughout the trial this past week and a jury, of which there were 13 members, made a unanimous verdict of guilty on two counts.

Mohammed has been found guilty of one count of sexual assault on a female and one count of rape of an individual 16 years of age or over.

Honour Judge Driver sentenced Mohammed to eight years in prison.

A warrant without bail has been issued for his arrest.