A man who entered the UK by small boat has been sentenced to seven years in prison for raping a teenager he met online just weeks after his arrival.
Attack in Historic Castle Grounds
Mehmet Ogur, a 27-year-old Kurdish national from Turkey, was living at the Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth, Staffordshire, when he committed the offences. The court heard he met the 18-year-old victim online and they went on several dates.
Prosecutor Hunter Gray told Stafford Crown Court that while there was consensual kissing, the victim had made it clear that sex was "out of the question" when they met for a fourth time in the grounds of Tamworth Castle. Despite her protests, Ogur forced himself on her.
After the attack, Ogur sent the woman apologetic messages, which he later claimed had been mistranslated by Google Translate. He was found guilty of rape and attempted rape last summer after denying the charges.
Victim's Harrowing Impact Statement
The young woman bravely read a personal statement to the court, describing how the ordeal had destroyed her life. "He took out every part of light I had in me," she said. "I quit college and stopped going to the gym and doing the things I loved."
Addressing Ogur directly, she added: "Part of me wishes you would have killed me that night instead, because that way it would have been easier than living with a body you've touched."
Judge's Sentencing Remarks
Judge John Edwards told Ogur, who showed no emotion in the dock, that the rape had caused "immense harm". He noted that Ogur was "plainly a man of intelligence" who had witnessed extreme violence before being "grabbed from the middle of the sea".
The judge praised the victim's courage, describing her as "naïve" and "easily led", and said she had been "anxious to befriend and help you". "You betrayed her trust and the many kindnesses she extended to you," Judge Edwards stated.
Ogur, a trained veterinary technician, was sentenced to seven years for both offences to run concurrently. The judge emphasised that Ogur's continued stay in the UK would be "for others to determine".
Defence barrister Joseph McKenna said Ogur had experienced significant trauma in his life and suffered from depression and anxiety. It is understood Ogur was rescued from the English Channel when he arrived last winter.
