An Egyptian asylum seeker who raped a woman in Hyde Park may be given more jail time after the Daily Mail revealed he was a convicted terrorist.
Abdelrahmen Adnan Abouelela, 42, was jailed for eight-and-a-half years last week after luring his victim to a secluded spot to carry out his depraved attack on November 4.
Abouelela arrived in the UK illegally in April 2023, claiming asylum by saying he was held as a political prisoner and tortured in his native country.
He was arrested in Egypt in 2015 after being accused of making bombs for the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned terrorist organisation in the country.
Egyptian media had stated that he and six others were planning on bombing electricity towers and gas pipelines in the Tenth of Ramadan and Bilbeis cities.
He was convicted in his absence after his escape from Egypt and given a seven-year jail sentence in May 2015, according to reports.
The married father-of-one had been living in the four-star taxpayer-funded Hampton by Hilton Hotel in Ealing, west London, at the time of the Hyde Park assault.
Judge Gregory Perrins jailed Abouelela for eight and a half years last week after the Egyptian’s barrister said he was of previous good character.
Abdelrahmen Adnan Abouelela, 42, (pictured) an Egyptian asylum seeker who raped a woman in Hyde Park, may be given more jail time after a judge was told he was of good character when he was actually a convicted terrorist
The Islamic terrorist was staying at the four star Hampton by Hilton hotel in west London at the British taxpayers’ expense
The judge told Southwark Crown Court today that he would now consider increasing the sentence after seeing media reports on Abouelela’s terrorist conviction.
He said: ‘I have asked this case to be listed this morning because as you will both be aware, I sentenced this defendant last week for an offence of rape and I sentenced him to eight-and-a-half years in prison.
‘His mitigation was put forward on the basis that the defendant was of good character and should therefore receive credit for that on the basis of that assertion.
‘I gave the defendant appropriate discount from the sentence than would otherwise been passed to take account of that good character.
‘As you will no doubt be aware it was then widely reported in the national press at the weekend that far from being a man of previous good character he has in fact served a seven-year prison sentence for an offence of bomb making in Egypt.
‘That was not something I was told by the prosecution and not something the defendant said in interview with probation or the psychiatrist, so it seems the court was misled on the defendant’s character.
‘It seems important to me to correct that. I don’t intend to do so simply on the basis of something in the national press but it seems to me if certain newspapers are able to find these details it’s something the prosecution should be able to look into.’
Prosecutor Martin Hooper said the police and Crown Prosecution Service are urgently making enquiries with Egyptian authorities.
Defence barrister Kane Sharp said Abouelela had not told him about his convictions.
He said: ‘I first heard of this when it was reported in the papers and people were contacting me to ask my views and I had no idea what they were talking about.
‘In terms of the court being misled I had absolutely no notion of any convictions. I understand at trial Mr Abouelela gave some evidence about being a political prisoner in Egypt.’
He was arrested in Egypt in 2015 after being accused of making bombs for the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned terrorist organisation in the country
The judge said he had reduced the sentence by six months from nine years to take account of good character.
He said he would also need to reconsider passing an extended sentence as he had judged Abouelela not to meet the test of being a dangerous offender last week.
The judge said the prosecution should find the information before a hearing to resentence Abouelela on October 24.
Abouelela appeared in court today via video-link from HMP Wandsworth wearing a grey jumper.
He repeatedly asked to speak during the hearing, saying he wanted to ‘explain something’ but the judge said he could not.
He put his head in his hands and said ‘I don’t understand’ as the judge left court.
Abouelela denied but was convicted by a jury of rape after a trial at Southwark Crown Court in May.
Judge Perrins told Abouelela last week he thought nothing of his victim who was under the influence of alcohol.
‘You made the decision to take advantage of her vulnerability,’ he said.
‘You simply did not care that she could not consent.
‘You were driven purely by your own sexual desires.’
Abouelela faces deportation because his sentence exceeded 12 months.
