AN ASYLUM SEEKER gave his victim copious amounts of alcohol, and is believed to have given her a date rape drug before raping her only a short distance away from the footpath on Swansea Prom, a court has heard.
Defendant Turkey Al-Turkey, 26, who currently resides at Cwm Level Road, Brynhyfryd, Swansea, originally came to the UK seeking asylum from Iraq.
Prosecutor Carina Hughes told the court how Al-Turkey sat on a bench on Swansea Seafront whilst talking and drinking limoncello with the victim on July 17.
The woman was highly intoxicated before the defendant carried her from the bench to some nearby grass and proceeded to rape the motionless victim.
The horrific event was witnessed by a member of security staff at the nearby Civic Centre who was monitoring the CCTV footage from around the council complex.
Miss Hughes said that the security guard was so concerned by what he saw, he used the Civic Centre’s loudspeakers to shout at Al-Turkey to leave the woman alone and to tell him that police were on their way.
The police arrived quickly and the security guard was able to direct them to the defendant who was sitting on a nearby bench.
Swansea Crown Court heard that the victim was unaware she had been assaulted until the police told her.
The woman’s intoxication level was so high that the police were unable to wake her to speak to her. The toxicology report failed to provide evidence of any drugs in her system, however due to her level of incapacitation, the police and Crown Prosecution Service were in the view that a so-called date rape drug may have been administered.
The victim said she told officers the last thing she remembered was drinking alcohol and talking to the defendant, she then describes it as being like “a film being cut” as the next thing she was aware of was being in the police station.
An impact statement from the victim which was read to the court said that what happened to her would never be erased, and the “stigma” would always be with her. She said that the incident had “killed the spontaneous, joyful, carefree version of myself” and had violated her body and soul.
The court also heard that the rape had an extreme effect on the council security guard.
The defendant had previously pleaded guilty to a single count of rape when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.
Jon Tarrant, the defence solicitor for Al-Turkey, said that the defendant could not explain why he committed such a “heinous crime” and could only offer his sincere remorse and shame for the impact the incident had on his victim.
Judge Paul Thomas QC told Al-Turkey that while his victim was “effectively comatose” he had raped her in a public place, just yards from Swansea Promenade. He also told Al-Turkey that he had plied the victim with alcohol and cruelly taken advantage of the woman for his own sexual needs, and said that he fully expects him to be deported when he is released.
He also said after viewing the CCTV footage of the incident, he had serious misgivings about whether the victim’s level of incapacitation was down to alcohol alone.
Turkey Al-Turkey was given a one-third discount for his guilty plea. He was sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison.
Al-Turkey will serve two-thirds of that in custody before being released. He will also be on the sex offenders register for life.
The judge said he found little point in imposing an extended license period on the defendant as he expected he would be deported from the country upon his release.
