A traffic warden was found guilty of raping a 71 year-old woman in Solihull, Birmingham. 30 year-old Irshad Hussain tracked down the pensioner and forced his way into her bedroom. The victim was not able to return home for six weeks because she felt 'scared and terrified about being on her own'.
'This offence was premeditated,' ruled Judge Paul Farrer QC. 'You plainly targeted her because of her vulnerability. Throughout this she was terrified and unable to struggle.' Hussein was counting on the witness not to report the attack because of her fragility. 'However the next morning she told her daughter, disclosing what had happened,' Farrer stated.
Testimony against Hussein included his nicknaming the victim 'oldie' and obtaining her number prior to the incident.
Hussein claimed that he had consensual sex with the elderly citizen, 'but nothing could be further from the truth,' says Det Chief Insp Dean Young from the Public Protection Unit. ' From his work in the area as a warden, he became aware of the woman and her vulnerabilities. He preyed on her and seized his opportunity to take advantage of her, abusing his position of trust in the community.'
If there is a positive from the incident it is the efficacy of DNA testing: 'While we are confident our inquiries would have led us to Hussain,' continued Chief Inspector Young, 'the speed at which we were able to take him off the streets and prevent him from targeting other vulnerable people, was only possible with the help of DNA profiling. In its thirtieth year, this case demonstrates just how important DNA profiling has become in bringing offenders to justice and protecting people in our communities.'
A sample taken from the pensioner’s home matched a record logged on a national database after a theft in 2003.
Hussein has been sentenced to jail for 13 years.
