A woman has described her ‘horror’ after she was reportedly raped in a dark East London alley by a ‘really disgusting’ man on her way home from a Christmas party. Hossein Mohmoudi, 34, is on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court accused of raping a woman in Stratford in December 2024. Mr Mohmoudi, of Booth House, a hostel on Whitechapel Road, denies the charge.
In a police interview, the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, reported she was attacked in the middle of the night after having too much to drink on a night out. After enjoying champagne and espresso martini cocktails, at around 12am the woman left the bar in a taxi, but got out at Whitechapel to vomit and made her own way to Stratford on a bus.
In Stratford Broadway, the woman reported it felt like the attacker ‘dragged’ her to the floor, pulled her skirt up to her waist, then entered her vagina with his erect penis. After around 20 seconds of ‘thrusting’, the woman alleged the attacker failed to ejaculate and was disturbed by a passing cyclist who came to the woman’s aid to support her and get her home.
The woman denied there was any conversation about sex or consent before the alleged penetration, and could not remember the alleged attacker wearing a condom. The next morning she messaged her best friend about the incident, then made a report to police and attended a sexual offence clinic to undergo examinations and tests.
Recalling the incident to a detective in a video recorded interview, the woman described the man’s penis and her shock at feeling it, adding: “I just remember thinking he was foul. Really disgusting. Not clean. The smell. He was a smelly man. I think it’s still on me. A smoker. Not somebody who looks after themselves.”
Describing the man, she said he was around six feet tall, Middle Eastern looking with ‘yellowy, pale skin’, ‘dark hair, shabby and short’, and a ‘messy beard’.
The woman could not remember him speaking, and although she assumed she screamed, she could not remember doing so.
“I just remember freezing,” she said, “I remember just feeling horror. It was happening. It was not just about to happen. It was happening. That feeling of violation.”
On whether she consented, the woman added: “I could not give consent because I did not even see the guy until it was happening. I would not want to do that. I do not have sex. I have not done that in years, it’s not something I want to do. I do not like that.”
On the moment a witness appeared, the complainant said: “I remember feeling strangely shameful, nakedness, there being someone else to witness it made it more shocking. I remember feeling that bit, then almost feeling safe with her. I realised what was happening almost in slow motion.”
The woman said it looked like her attacker ran off in the direction of West Ham, but could not be sure. The woman said she was accompanied by the cyclist until they reached a restaurant, where the witness called her another taxi to take her home.
‘F**k you. F**k off’
CCTV footage, played to jurors by prosecutor Christiaan Moll, showed the woman exiting a black cab in Whitechapel after midnight on December 6, 2024. Footage then showed her waiting at a bus stop and boarding a bus towards Stratford around five minutes later.
After alighting the bus in Stratford, footage showed her walking down Stratford Broadway. The defendant also appeared to take the same route, around 10 to 20 metres behind her.
After passing Stratford Magistrates Court, the woman entered an alleyway, apparently to urinate. The defendant appeared to enter the alleyway, prompting the woman to shout ‘Wait, wait, wait. F**k you. F**k off. F**k you. F**k off’.
When a passing cyclist stopped to check on the noise, footage showed the defendant sprinting off down the road then slowing to a walk. After a photo of a bruised arm was shown to jurors by Mr Moll, the complainant confirmed it was her arm. The trial under judge Timothy Greene continues.
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