Libyan soldiers who trained at Bassingbourn Barracks jailed after admitting Cambridge sex offences
Kahled El Azibi - Credit: Archant
Five Libyan soldiers who carried out sexual attacks while training at Bassingbourn Barracks have been jailed.
Ibrahmi Naji El Maarfi - Credit: Archant
Three of the men pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting women in Cambridge in October but were sentenced on Friday.
Khaled El Azibi, 19, was given a 12-month jail term for two counts of sexual assault.
Ibrahim Naji El Maarfi, 21, and Mohammed Abdalsalam, 27, were each sentenced to 10 months for two counts of sexual assault and one count of theft.
El Maarfi was also sentenced to one count of indecent exposure and Abdalsalam pleaded guilty to one count of threatening behaviour.
Mohammed Abdalsalam - Credit: Archant
The first incident took place at about 1.55am on October 26 when all three men were speaking to two women in Corn Exchange Street.
El Maarfi then moved towards the women, aged 18 and 19, and sexually assaulted them both.
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The second incident took place about six hours later when all three men approached an 18 year-old woman in Corn Exchange Street.
El Maarfi tried unsuccessfully to kiss the woman. Shortly after she was sexually assaulted twice by El Azibi.
Mukhtar Mahmoud - Credit: Archant
At this point Abdalsalam walked over and sexually assaulted her twice.
Shortly after, the woman was approached by El Maarfi, who then indecently exposed himself.
Chief Insp James Sutherland said: “Foreign nationals who have abused our hospitality by committing crimes in this country should be in no doubt of our determination to remove them from it.
“Those who break our laws should be removed from the country at the earliest opportunity, and we will seek to remove any foreign national offender who receives a custodial sentence for a criminal offence.”
Ibrahim Abugtila - Credit: Archant
In a separate incident, two men who were also staying at Bassingbourn Barracks were found guilty of raping a man in Cambridge.
Mukhtar Ali Saad Mahmoud, 33 and Ibrahim A Abugtila, 22 saw their victim in the city centre at around 3.30am, then followed him to Christ’s Pieces where they both raped him.
Following the attack, the victim called police for help.
The offenders were identified through forensic evidence.
Det Insp Alan Page, who led the investigation, said: “This was a truly horrendous crime and I hope the result will allow the victim some closure and to begin rebuilding his life.
“He has shown tremendous bravery throughout this whole process and I am grateful to him for the trust he placed in police in ensuring that justice was done.
“These men deliberately targeted their victim because of his vulnerability that night, which they took advantage of to commit this callous crime.”
