ON the night of May 16 Abdel-Aziz Al-Shamary had just one thing on his mind.

According to detectives it was his aim to get a woman and have sex with her, having hyped himself up watching hardcore outdoor sex porn videos on his mobile phone earlier.

Al-Shamary had drunk large amounts of whisky during the course of the afternoon and was variously described by witnesses as being unsteady on his feet and struggling to hold an intelligible conversation.

That did not prevent him taking advantage of an opportunity when it presented itself when he encountered the victim, who had been innocently making her way home from the pub.

The Northern Echo: INVESTIGATION: Police cordoned off the scene of the alleged rape while they combed for potential evidence. Picture: MATT WESTCOTT

The scene of the incident in Darlington. Picture: MATT WESTCOTT

The bearded 21-year-old, who hails from Kuwait, originally entered the UK illegally and lived in Middlesbrough. He also had no record of crime here or abroad.

At the end of 2016 he moved to Darlington and began living in Pensbury Street, by this time having been given leave to remain in the country. He did bits of work, but was not in full-time employment and on the day of the incident he had been drinking in South Park, Darlington, near his home.

Meanwhile, the victim spent her evening drinking with friends in the Greyhound public house and was described as being in a good mood. At first she was polite to Al-Shamary when they met while crossing St Cuthbert’s Way in the town, the pair exchanging ‘hellos’ with each other. However events would soon take a sinister turn.

In Al-Shamary’s trial, prosecutor Paul Abrahams suggested he began pestering the woman who he realised was on her own and a therefore a “prime target” for him. After walking away from the woman, he then ran back towards her with the intention to rape her.

She was then dragged down a small embankment to the rear of Halfords, close to the River Skerne, hit in the face and had her trousers pulled down, before she was attacked.

Police were fortunate that despite it being late at night a handful of witnesses saw both Al-Shamary and the woman either shortly before or immediately after the attack and they were also able to arrest him quickly afterwards with the description of him that had been given. Both parties’ movements were also extensively tracked by CCTV.

DNA evidence also played its part – some of the woman’s DNA was found on Al-Shamary’s boxer shorts, mixed amongst DNA from other individuals. A forensic scientist said it was 1.1 million times more likely to be the victim’s than anyone related to her.

Another element that helped the prosecution case when it reached court was Judge Sean Morris allowing comments Al-Shamary made to police following his arrest to be read out to the jury.

The 21-year-old refused to speak to female officers, saying in his homeland he would only speak to men, and also referred to England as a “bitch country”.

Prosecutors were keen that these elements were put before the jury since they said it showed his mindset and attitude to women. This was opposed by the defence, but they were ruled against after Judge Morris heard legal argument.

The attack and the court case that followed were unusual and all the more terrifying because stranger rapes or sex attacks where attacker and victim are not known to each other remain pretty rare.

One detective who worked on the case, Detective Constable Neil Stannard, said it was the biggest of his career, and he had dealt with murders. He and many others will be relieved Al-Shamary is off the streets tonight.