An Eritrean refugee sex pest, regularly stalked Plymouth for White women at weekends. In 2022 he found a drunk woman who was staggering home and trickng her into his car, drove her to his house and raped her.

Sexual opportunist, Yuseab Woldeab, 27, arrived in Plymouth in 2016 and from then was frequently seen in town on Friday and Saturday nights following attractive lone young White females, late at night. On one of these occasions he was questioned by Police regarding his creepy behaviour and searching him they found cash and condoms in his pockets. He was also warned by police for attempting to sexually pester teen women, below the age of consent on these nights of sexual predation.

On Saturday 23rd April Woldeab was up to his usual predatory antics and had been loitering in Revolutions nightclub after which he lurked around the streets looking at drunk White women for sexual encounters.

In the early hours of Sunday the pervy loner was driving round the town centre in his white Ford Fiesta, looking for potential victims. He discovered a very drunk young woman in her late 20s staggering along the pavement.

The woman was a 28 year old lesbian, who had been drinking from Saturday evening and had been in several bars and a friend’s house before heading home in the early hours of Sunday. Very intoxicated she was filmed on CCTV stumbling as she made her way down Union street.

Here around 4am Woldeab was filmed passing her then turning and parking briefly to watch her walking up the street. Unaware of his presence the drunk victim walked past. He then sidled up from behind and stopped near her with the window open. She was seen on CCTV leaning in the window and after an exchange of words got into the front passenger seat of the car not thinking she was in danger. Before the door was even shut Woldeab moved off, driving the short journey to his house on Wilton Street, 5 minutes away. During this short journey his drunk passenger drifted in and out of consciousness.

Once at his housse he carried the sleeping woman onto his bed and proceeded to rape her several times in his bedroom, both vaginally and anally. When he left the bedroom to go to the bathroom the victim took the advantage to make her escape, making her way back to home where she messaged a friend for help, telling them what had happened. She called the police shortly after to report the crime, with no idea who the man was or what address he had taken her to.

Police enquiries then led to the arrest of Woldeab the following day. He was charged with rape and held in custody.

During the hearing at Plymouth Crown Court on 10th January 2023, the victim revealed that she had never had sex with a man before the rape by Woldeab, or ever been attracted to men sexually. The effects of the rape had led to her whole life being turned upside down. She felt her sense of identity had been taken from her and she felt disgusted and ashamed for what had happened to her.

“I’ve lost my sense of identity. He’s taken that all away from me, it was not his to take.”
“I was disgusted even though I had done nothing wrong.”

The victim also said she now always barricaded her doors and was terrified of leaving her flat alone. She was also now planning to leave Plymouth.

Woldeab was found guilty of one count of vaginal rape, one count of anal rape and one count of kidnap and on 26th Jan was sentenced to 18 years in jail. Judge Johnson said the rapist had not shown “one scintilla of remorse” for what he had done and informed Woldeab that he would be eligible for parole only after he had served at least 12 years. It was also noted that on his release he would be prohibited from working with children and vulnerable adults.

Rebecca Sutherland, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS South West, said:

“This was a shocking case in which the defendant deliberately targeted and abducted a lone, vulnerable young woman before subjecting her to an appalling attack.