Asian father-of-four raped pub worker for three hours after dragging her off the street saying 'you white women are good at it'

• Woman in her 20s was walking home from work in Bedford at around 11pm
• Abdul Ghafoor, 33, grabbed her from behind and dragged her into bushes
• He had drunk five rums and assaulted her from 11.25pm until 2.45am
• Victim was able text sister asking for help, who raised alarm with police
• Judge said attack was 'racially aggravated' and passed a life sentence
• He added victim was subjected to 'nightmare of unimaginable proportions' 

+2

Abdul Ghafoor, 33, dragged the young woman into bushes and raped her for three hours

An Asian father-of-four dragged a young pub worker off the street and raped her for three hours saying 'you white women are good at it'.

The woman, who is in her 20s, was walking home from work in Bedford at around 11pm when she was grabbed by Abdul Ghafoor, 33, and forced her into undergrowth, a court heard.

Ghafoor had drunk five rum drinks when he came up behind her and bundled her into the bushes where he began sexually assaulting her in an attack that lasted from 11.25pm until 2.45am.

The victim had sent a WhatsApp message to her sister when she left work on May 30 this year to say she was walking to their flat.

But the married father-of-four, who had earlier propositioned two other white woman, demanded that the woman perform a sex act on him saying 'you white girls are good at it'.

She was able to send a second message to her sister saying 'help me' before he smashed her phone.

At one point she managed to make a run for it when Ghafoor vomited as a result of the alcoholic drinks he had downed, but he caught her and took her back into the undergrowth. 

Her sister had raised the alarm and the victim heard the police helicopter overhead as a major search was launched to find her. 

Eventually Ghafoor allowed her to get dressed and walked out on to the the road with her saying she should accompany him into town, but they were seen by police inspector, Jamie Longwith. 

She got into the officer's car while Ghafoor made an attempt to escape but was caught.

Prosecutor at Luton Crown Court, Sally Hobson, said Ghafoor's attack had a racial aspect as he had made comments about the sort of behaviour white women would engage in.

'He made racially aggravated comments to the effect that this is the sort of behaviour that white women would engage in. If he saw her again she would give him a blow job,' she said.

'She was a white woman and he believed it was okay to behave in this way. It was a stranger rape of a young woman going about her business in her home town she she ought to feel safe.'

Earlier the prosecutor said: 'We all see the news and we know the dangers of walking home. For the woman, a nightmare came true that night.'

Ms Hobson said the victim had been 'like a frightened rabbit in the headlights' when she gave evidence in the witness box.' 

She has been seeing a specialist counsellor and is now on medication and suffers from nightmares.

But she described her as 'extremely brave young lady who conducted herself with dignity'. 

The victim listened to the sentencing from another room in the court building via a link.

Last month a jury found him guilty by majority verdicts of three offences of assault by penetration, two offences of rape, false imprisonment and assaulting the woman occasioning her actual bodily harm. 

They found him not guilty of a third offence of rape but guilty by a majority of an alternative offence of attempted rape.

Ghafoor, of Nash Road, Bedford, told the jury he had drunk around five rum based drinks during the evening. He claimed she she consented to sexual activity.

Asked to explain her Whatsapp message, he said the victim was asking her sister to arrange a birthday party to which he would be invited.

Judge Richard Foster said the victim had been subjected to a 'nightmare of unimaginable proportions'.

He told Ghafoor he had been on the lookout for a victim that night and subjected the woman to the most appalling sexual abuse for over three hours. 

'You forced her to perform oral sex and you said: "you white girls are good at it."

To some extent the offence was racially aggravated.'

He passed a life sentence for public protection saying he regarded Ghafoor as a dangerous offender. 

If he had not received life he would have sentenced him to 18 years, which means Ghafoor cannot be considered for parole until he has served 9 years.

The judge praised the victim for her 'exceptional bravery'. He recommended three officers - Inspector Longwith, the officer in the case DC Jon Wheeler and assistant investigator Derek Winn - for commendations.