Man jailed for sexual assault in Exeter City Centre

A man has been jailed for four years and a further four years on extended licence for the sexual assault of a woman in Exeter City Centre. Fawzi Omar, 27, was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on Friday 22 November after pleading guilty to sexual assault.

A man has been jailed for four years and a further four years on extended licence for the sexual assault of a woman in Exeter City Centre.

Fawzi Omar, 27, was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on Friday 22 November after pleading guilty to sexual assault.

The court heard how Omar, a Sudanese national of no fixed abode, targeted the victim, who was a stranger to him, as she was walking home in the early hours on Wednesday 8 May.

Omar approached the victim, grabbed her and proceeded to sexually assault her.

City centre CCTV operatives were made aware following the report and identified that they had the incident captured on CCTV.

A description of the suspect was passed over the radio and the suspect was tracked across the city by Exeter city centre CCTV operators until the suspect went out of frame and was no longer identifiable.

Officers continued searching the area, but there was no trace of Omar, who at the time hadn’t yet been identified.

Omar’s image was circulated, then, at 1.25am on Tuesday 11 June, an Exeter city centre CCTV operator identified a male matching the description of the suspect.

An officer attended South Street Exeter and arrested Omar on suspicion of sexual assault.

Detective Inspector Paula Trevett said: “We are happy that Fawzi Omar is now behind bars for a horrific attack carried out on a complete stranger.

“We’d like to commend the bravery of the victim in this case for helping ensure Omar was brought to justice.

“This is another example of outstanding work carried out by Exeter officers – response, neighbourhood, CCTV and CID.

“Omar was previously unknown to police and remained at large for four weeks after the offence. It was thanks to the diligent work of one of the city centre CCTV operatives who recognised him one night when he was walking around Exeter City Centre, that Omar was arrested.

“He was wearing the same clothing and had a distinctive walk.

“Omar was arrested and denied the offence however forensics were fast-tracked and a Magistrates’ extension was sought whilst we awaited the results. Omar’s DNA came back as an exact match with the swabs taken from the victim.

“This example of fantastic teamwork demonstrates the drive we all have to make the streets of Exeter safer for women and girls.”

Support available

If you or someone you know has been a victim of rape or sexual assault, we encourage you not to suffer in silence and report it to the police by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency. You can also report information and crimes on our website.

Alternatively, you can report information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

There are lots of organisations and support agencies available across Devon and Cornwall that can help provide support.

For more information on rape and serious sexual assault and the support services available, please visit our support pages by clicking here.

Advice and support is also offered by our partner agencies:
• National Rape Crisis Helpline 0808 802 9999
• Devon and Cornwall Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC) 0300 3034626

Victim care

If you have been affected by crime, please visit Home - Victim Care Devon & Cornwall (victimcare-dc.org) to access support services and information on your rights and how to navigate the criminal justice system. You can also call Victim Support on 08 08 16 89 111 or Devon and Cornwall Police’s Victim Care Unit on 01392 475900.