🔴 Iranian Asylum Seeker Jailed for Cheltenham Sex Assault Horror

A 20-year-old Iranian asylum seeker who sexually assaulted a vulnerable 18-year-old woman in Cheltenham has been jailed for 27 months at Bristol Crown Court.

Abdolrahman Banafsha, 19 at the time of the attack on 31 August 2024, targeted the lone teenager as she walked home from a night out in the early hours.

He followed her after initially passing by, then seized her arm when she fell in a side street and escorted her to the address where he was staying.

The court heard how Banafsha ignored her pleas that she had a boyfriend and needed to go home, tightening his grip as she tried to pull away.

Inside the property, after the victim used the bathroom and attempted to plan an escape, he pushed her to the ground and committed two sexual assaults.

One involved touching her breasts under her clothing; the second, touching her between the legs over clothing.

She screamed, kicked him off and fled the address while still screaming, captured on CCTV as she ran for safety.

Banafsha was arrested later that day by Gloucestershire Constabulary and has remained in custody since.

Charged initially with attempted rape, his trial began on 22 September this year.

CCTV footage and the victim’s police video interview were played on the first day.

He pleaded guilty the following day to two counts of sexual assault, pleas accepted by the Crown, victim and police.

Sentencing on Wednesday 5 November, His Honour Judge Julian Lambert described the ordeal as “utterly terrifying” with “profound” victim impact.

The judge noted an “element of predatory” behaviour in Banafsha’s stalking of the streets and persistence with the victim.

He sentenced him to 27 months in a young offender’s institution for both counts, to run concurrently.

Banafsha will also be on the Sex Offender’s Register for 10 years and must notify police of his address during that period.

A victim personal statement read to the court detailed her ongoing trauma.

She said she had to prepare for “the worst possible scenario” and still could not breathe from fear during the assault.