Sex offender jailed after following woman home at night

A predatory sex offender who stalked a woman as she walked home alone at night has been jailed.

Mohammed Rahman followed the woman for around ten minutes as she walked home from an evening out in Darlington with her friends on April 17 this year.

The woman - an off-duty police officer – became aware that someone was following her as she began walking home from the town centre at around midnight.

In an effort to lose him, she quickened her pace and repeatedly crossed the road, only to find the man continued to follow her.

As he got closer, the quick-thinking woman grabbed her phone and began recording him just as he ran past her and disappeared down a side street.

The woman called police, who quickly found Rahman hiding in a nearby garden, and took him into custody.

The 20-year-old was later charged with breaching a Sexual Risk Order, which was imposed in June last year following an exposure incident in which he carried out a sex act on himself in front of a care home.

The order lasts ten years and prohibits Rahman from doing several things, including exposing himself or committing sex acts in public, entering the boundary of a private house or garden without prior permission, and harassing or intimidating women.

Rahman, of no fixed abode, admitted the breach and was jailed for two years and eight months at Teesside Crown Court on Friday (November 8).

In a victim impact statement, the woman said: “The incident has really shaken me up; I burst into tears when the police called me and told me they had arrested someone. I was worried he had seen me go into my house and knew where I lived.

“I should be able to walk home from town to my house without anyone following me, and I should feel safe.

“I worry that I won’t even be able to go out in the darker winter days now as I will be worrying someone is following me.”

Detective Inspector David Bailey, from Darlington CID, said: “Rahman is a highly dangerous individual who has shown extremely predatory behaviour, and he is now rightly in prison for his blatant disregard for the conditions imposed upon him.

“I’d like to commend the woman involved in this case who showed real bravery during what was a terrifying ordeal.  

“Her quick-thinking decision to record Rahman allowed officers to identify him and quickly get him off the streets and into custody.

“I sincerely hope that this sentencing brings her some comfort and can allow her to move on with her life.”

If you are being stalked, harassed, or intimidated, tell us – call 999 in an emergency, or 101 if you do not require an immediate response.