August 2022 Accrington rapist used ‘the peaceful religion of Islam as excuse’ for crimes A ‘dangerous offender’ who inflicted a ‘campaign of violent rape’ on his terrified victim, reducing her to a shadow of her former self, has been jailed. Faran Abbas subjected his victim to multiple rapes over a period of nine months, and controlled parts of her life and her behaviour. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she had her “innocence taken away and her body mauled” while she felt her “spirit had been crushed” and considered herself “ugly, un-loveable” and had “lost trust in others”. In a diary, read to the court, the woman – who can not be identified for legal reasons – said Abbas raped her repeatedly over an eight month period. She said members of his family turned a blind eye, while her own family saw her go from a “bright, bubbly, confident young lady to a woman they hardly recognised”. He controlled her, restricted access to her mobile telephone, prevented her from meeting her parents without him being there and he was violent towards her She tried to do everything that she could to be good to him, and in return he did nothing but abuse her. On one occasion Abbas strangled the woman in a hotel room until she struggled to breathe. After the attack, which left the woman crying as she pushed him off her, Abbas downplayed what he had done and told the woman it was a joke. When she reported her abuser to the police Abbas claimed she was lying and had been put up to making the complaint by her father Prosecuting, David Traynor, said Abbas had inflicted a “campaign of rape” on his victim with his heinous crimes being “persistent over a prolonged period of time”. Abbas pleaded not guilty to five counts of rape but following a trial in May, the jury found the 28-year-old, of Church Street, Accrington, guilty.  Defending, Bob Elias said: “He has no credit, he had his trial and was convicted by the jury.  “It’s right to say that these offences demonstrate a cultural gap – he clearly isn’t a westernised young man, and has the thinking patterns of an earlier time. “There are even a number of family members who seem fit to write on his behalf. “But he appears to be a creature of his own upbringing and his own heritage.” Sentencing Abbas, who has a previous conviction for conspiracy to commit GBH, to 18 years in prison, with two on extended licence upon release, Judge Simon Medland QC said Abbas had “sought to use the peaceful religion of Islam as an excuse” for his behaviour. Judge Medland said: “He has a mindset where he sees this sort of behaviour as being acceptable. “One thing is certain, you, Abbas, behaved to her in a brutish and violent way. “You treated her as someone whose opinions were not worth listening to. “You treated her with utmost contempt. “You sought to use the peaceful religion of Islam as an excuse. Islam is no excuse for your behaviour. There is no excuse and there never could be one. “The impact is very significant indeed and anyone who needs to review this might look no further than her personal statement.  “You are not a man of good character. “Over this period of nine months I am sure you behaved in a violent and brutal way to a woman who did not deserve any such treatment. “You treated her life and her body as your own and I have no doubt you are a dangerous offender.” As well as an extended prison sentence, Abbas was placed on the sex offenders register for life.