Press release

Rapist has sentence increased following Solicitor General’s referral

Joseph Ahmed has had his sentence increased following the Solicitor General’s referral to the Court of Appeal.

This was published under the 2016 to 2019 May Conservative government
Royal Courts of Justice

A man who sexually assaulted a woman celebrating her 19th birthday in Falmouth has had his sentence increased today after the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, referred his sentence to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient.

Joseph Ahmed, now 32, forced his victim to have unprotected sex with him after they met at a house party. He ignored her pleas for him to stop. The victim was estimated to have been twice the legal drink drive limit at the time of the assault.

Ahmed was originally sentenced at Truro Crown Court in August, where he was given 5 years imprisonment with an extended licence period of 3 years. Today, after the Solicitor General’s referral, the Court of Appeal increased his sentence to 7 years imprisonment with an extended licence period of 3 years.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General said:

“Ahmed put his victim through a terrible ordeal, showing a complete disregard for her clear protestations. I am pleased that the Court of Appeal has today agreed that Ahmed’s sentence should have been higher, and hope it will bring some comfort to the victim.”

Updates to this page

Published 24 October 2018