A 35-year-old man has been jailed for sexually assaulting a young woman after fleeing the country for over ten years. Salam Karis received his sentence at Oxford Crown Court following an incident on a towpath near Hythe Bridge Street on 19 January 2014.

The court heard that after being granted bail, Karis departed the country and did not return until July last year, when he arrived in Britain on a small boat from Iraq. Earlier this year, a jury convicted him of three counts of rape. The attacks took place after the victim and her companion had visited The Bridge Nightclub and Anuba, which were operated as a single venue.

The woman was visiting a friend in Oxford, having travelled from Brighton. Her companion had recently celebrated her 18th birthday, and the pair had arranged a night out together. After consuming drinks purchased by Karis and other patrons, she was led away from the venue toward the canal towpath and into nearby woodland, where the assaults occurred. The victim, now 32 years old, provided a detailed account to the jury.

In her statement to the court, she described how she endured a two-hour journey in a police vehicle to reach a rape crisis centre in Milton Keynes. She described the medical examination as profoundly humiliating, likening herself to a scientific specimen. She spoke of being haunted by memories of the forensic procedure. She never expected that obtaining justice would demand so much time. Following the assault, her emotional wellbeing was shattered and highly precarious. While she had always regarded herself as resilient, she experienced overwhelming helplessness. For many years she has struggled with sudden panic attacks. The defendant breached his bail conditions and illegally left the country. Bail should never have been granted in the first place, and the justice system failed to safeguard her. She has spent 12 years attempting to heal from something that should never have happened.

The court was informed that Karis arrived in the United Kingdom at age 17 in 2008, having fled conflict-torn Iraq. He had no previous convictions.

The defence maintained that Karis denies the attacks while expressing sorrow for the impact on the victim.

Speaking during sentencing, Judge Maria Lamb observed that 12 years ago on a dark, wet evening beside the canal, Karis assaulted the victim. She noted that the jury had unanimously found him guilty and that the victim had clearly refused his advances multiple times, yet he ignored her objections. The judge emphasised that the impact on her had been devastating and that Karis had fled to escape the consequences of his actions, leaving her to suffer severe psychological harm.

Karis was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment and handed an indefinite restraining order preventing any contact with the victim. He must also register as a sex offender for life.