91Èȱ¬

A man who preyed on a stranger and raped her near a church has been jailed for seven years.

Mohammed Javeed from Wellington in Shropshire was sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Wednesday after being convicted by a jury of the late-night attack.

Describing his victim as vulnerable, police said the 32-year-old targeted her in June 2021, promising to help her.

But instead he pushed her into bushes near All Saints Church in Wellington and raped her.

A member of the public then disturbed Javeed, causing him to run off.

That individual contacted police, who launched an investigation.

The West Mercia force said its detectives went through CCTV footage from the evening, from which they were able to identify Javeed and swiftly arrest him.

Det Con Erica Hanson-McKenzie, who led the investigation, said: "Javeed preyed on a vulnerable woman late at night and I am pleased with the sentence that has been handed to him by the judge.

"Reporting crimes like these can take a lot of courage, and I would like to commend the victim in this case on the immense strength she showed in assisting us with our investigation, and her strength throughout the trial.

"I hope the sentence given to Javeed sends a clear and strong message that we can and do take all reports of rape seriously and will work tirelessly to secure charges against those responsible."

Javeed, who was also convicted of attempted rape in relation to the same woman, has been added to the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

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