A man who attempted to rape a teenager as she walked home from an evening out in Ramsgate has been jailed for nine-and-a-half years and is likely to be deported upon his release.
The attack happened on Sion Hill, Ramsgate, in the early hours of Friday 30 September 2016.
Ashraf Miah, 34, of no fixed address, pushed his 18-year-old victim to the ground and sexually assaulted her while she partially recorded the ordeal on her mobile telephone.
He walked away after she began to scream for help.
The incident was reported to police when the victim returned home a short time later and an investigation was launched by officers from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.
Miah’s movements prior to the incident were tracked by CCTV footage. It was established that he had been turned down by another woman who he had approached for sex earlier that night.
Guilty plea
Following his identification he was traced to the Whitechapel area of London, where he was arrested on Thursday 3 November 2016.
Miah pleaded guilty to attempted rape and two counts of sexual assault and was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court today (Monday 24 April).
Following his release from prison he will serve a further four years on licence under an extended sentence and has also been recommended for deportation to his home country of Bangladesh.
‘A danger to women’
Investigating officer Detective Constable Nicola Devine said: “The victim in this case was targeted and subjected to a violent and premeditated attack that left her traumatised.
“Ashraf Miah is clearly a danger to women and must have known that what he was doing was wrong. She was the second woman he had approached with sexual intent that night and I am pleased he has received a lengthy custodial sentence and will no longer pose a risk to members of the public.”