ALEX BELAY SENTENCED IN LIVERPOOL FOR RAPE AND ASSAULT CASE
A woman now sleeps with a pair of scissors under her pillow every night after being raped at knifepoint by Alex Belay, whom she met at a bus stop.Belay, who appeared to be a "nice lad" in her eyes, convinced her to go back to his flat, believing she had missed the last bus.
However, he then took her phone as she spoke with her son, pressed a knife against her stomach and throat, and subjected her to a brutal sexual assault.
The victim believed she was going to die during the attack, and Belay, showing no remorse, smirked after the assault ended.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that the woman was out visiting a friend before leaving around midnight to catch the bus home.
She encountered Belay at the bus stop, but thinking they had missed the last service, they started walking away together, chatting, as reported by the Liverpool Echo.
Prosecutor Olivia Beesley explained how Belay then invited her into his flat on Sefton Moss Villas in Litherland.
She agreed, believing she would be safe because he was much younger than her.
Once inside, after returning from the toilet, she sensed something was wrong and decided she should leave.
Belay, an Eritrean asylum seeker who arrived in the UK in 2020 fleeing civil war in Sudan, responded by switching off the lights and pushing her.
As she received an incoming call from her son, Belay took her phone from her, locked the door, and then brandished a knife, holding it against her stomach and throat whenever she tried to speak.
Ms Beesley stated, "She thought she wasn't going to get out of there alive." Belay then forced the woman onto his bed, pulled down her trousers, and raped her.
After the assault, she asked, "Can I go?" and managed to escape, calling a family member for help.
During trial, the victim’s detailed description of her attacker’s clothing and flat was presented, and she was found to have left her cigarette lighter in his bathroom.
DNA evidence linked Belay to her underwear, although he denied ever meeting her.
In a statement read aloud during his sentencing, she expressed how her life had changed since the attack.
She described her ongoing struggles: "I’ve tried to kill myself numerous times.
Before this happened, I was happy and cheerful.
I felt I had everything to live for.
Now, I feel angry, depressed, and numb.
I feel so dirty and have no self-respect.
I'm furious at myself for being so stupid.
I never thought my life would be ruined by this.
It's consumed me." She continued, "It's all I think about.
The day this happened, my world ended.
I keep scissors under my pillow because I don't feel safe even in my own home.
I didn't do anything wrong, but I am paying for what he did to me.
I don't understand how he could do this.
I dwell on it every day.
It’s scarred me for life.
Sometimes I wonder why he didn't kill me.
I thank God I am alive to see my children again.
I will never be the same.
I'm frightened of my own shadow.
I just want to forget everything and move on, but I can't.
It’s always there, every minute." Defence solicitor Stella Hayden described Belay’s case as a "particularly grave example" of such an offense, emphasizing the severe psychological harm inflicted.
She noted that the encounter at the bus stop was chance-based, and that this was Belay’s first conviction, adding that, due to his status, deportation was likely.
Belay was convicted of rape by a jury and sentenced to 12 years in prison, with a minimum of two-thirds to be served before eligible for parole.
Judge Katherine Pierpoint outlined the details of the attack, stating, "She saw no danger in you.
She thought he was a nice lad.
She was chatting with you and agreed to go to your flat.
Once inside, she sensed something was wrong.
She wanted to leave, but you refused.
You turned off the lights, locked the door, and took her phone.
She was on the phone with her son, who was distressed upon hearing her panic." She described how Belay held a large knife, pressed it to her stomach and throat, and dragged her into the bedroom, assaulting her.
"She was terrified, genuinely believing you intended to kill her.
She left the flat traumatized, and her damage remains severe.
She has attempted suicide multiple times and feels destroyed.
Her mental health has been seriously impacted.
She feels betrayed and angry for trusting him.
You have wrecked her life," the judge said.
While considering her traumatic background, especially growing up in a war zone, the judge took into account Belay’s age and lack of prior convictions.
She also commended the victim’s bravery in court.
As Belay began to protest in his native language through an interpreter, he was led away to the cells.
He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.
