Manipulative Stockton asylum seeker jailed for rape of woman

Hamed Kianipanah repeatedly told his victim that the sex attack was consensual throughout the ordeal in 2022.

The 34-year-old was described as manipulative and a domestic abuser after he was found guilty following a trial at Teesside Crown Court.

Dr Christopher Wood, prosecuting, said the rape had a devastating impact on the victim who suffered from a number of medical conditions.

The court heard how Kianipanah had befriended his victim while he was living in the Stockton area while his asylum application was being processed.

Dr Wood said the defendant took to the internet to find sexual partners while he was living apart from his wife.

He said the couple entered a consensual relationship before the defendant forced himself on the woman just before they were due to head out to a party after she handed over a large sum of money to him.

In a powerful victim statement, the woman who cannot be named for legal reasons, outlined the effect the rape had on her mental health and wellbeing.

She said: “I remember him saying three times ‘this is consensual’ but it was not – it was rape.

“His words still echo in my mind and I can vividly hear both his words and his voice from that day. The expression in his eyes haunted me for a long time.”

During the trial, a witness described asylum seeker Kianipanah as "manipulative and a domestic abuser".

Hamed Kianipanah (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

Kianipanah, of Brook Road, Brent, London, was found guilty of a single count of rape following a trial.

Robert Mochrie, mitigating, said his client was of previous good character before his conviction and continues to deny the offence.

Judge Jonathan Carrol passed a 12-year extended sentence, meaning Kianipanah will serve nine years in custody followed by three additional years on licence.

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He said: “The victim is a profoundly vulnerable woman, she has mental and physical health issues, all of which render her very vulnerable.

“She is brutally frank about her condition, about her needs and the impact it has on her, especially her almost desperate desire to have a close and loving relationship.

“She was someone who was ripe for cynical, manipulative abuse.”

Kianipanah was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life as a result of his conviction.