JOHN CHALACHEW PLYMOUTH NIGHTCLUB RAPIST SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS IN PRISON
In a disturbing series of criminal acts that shocked the community of Plymouth, a man identified as John Chalachew has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term after being convicted of multiple counts of sexual assault and rape.The crimes took place over a span of several months, during which Chalachew preyed on vulnerable individuals, many of whom were heavily intoxicated at the time of the assaults.
Chalachew, aged 33 and an illegal immigrant, was found guilty of raping four victims—three women and one man—after they had left nightclubs in Plymouth.
The court heard that he targeted these individuals in the early hours of the morning, exploiting their intoxication and vulnerability.
The incidents included luring women back to his shared residence and dragging a male victim into an alleyway for assault.
The court proceedings revealed that Chalachew, who resided on Mount Gould Road in Plymouth with other asylum-seekers, had a long history of criminal behavior, with 16 previous convictions for 23 different offenses, including burglary and violence.
Despite his criminal past, he continued to pose a significant threat to the community.
During the trial at Plymouth Crown Court, the jury found Chalachew guilty of six counts of rape, including two instances where he raped women while they were sleeping in separate rooms on the same night.
The court was told that he had also sexually assaulted a teenage male and a woman in her 40s, with the earliest incidents dating back to March 2018 and the latest in October of the same year.
One of the victims, a woman in her early 20s, recounted how she and a family friend, both intoxicated, met Chalachew at the Crash Manor club in the city center.
After sharing a taxi with him and another man, they were taken to Chalachew’s home, where they slept in different rooms.
Both women awoke to find Chalachew engaging in sexual acts with them without their consent.
The teenage male victim, who was walking home alone after a night out at Pryzm on the Barbican Leisure Park, was approached by Chalachew in an alleyway on North Hill.
He was dragged into the alley and raped, an assault that he later reported to police.
Another victim, a married woman in her 30s, had gone out with a friend to Walkabout and Popworld.
After becoming intoxicated and separated from her friend, she was somehow taken back to her home by Chalachew, where he assaulted her sexually.
Judge James Townsend, presiding over the case, emphasized the vulnerability of the victims, noting that their intoxication made them easy targets.
He stated, “I have no hesitation in concluding that it was obvious to you just how badly your victims were affected at the time that you decided to use them for sex.” Furthermore, the judge declared Chalachew a dangerous offender, ruling that he would not be eligible for parole until two-thirds of his sentence had been served, rather than the usual halfway point.
The court also heard that Chalachew, who arrived in the UK via Belfast in 2005 after traveling on a ship from Djibouti, faces deportation under immigration laws, with the Home Office monitoring the case during sentencing at Taunton Crown Court.
Judge Townsend dismissed claims that Chalachew’s offending was opportunistic, although he acknowledged that the defendant had been recently thrown out by his partner, which may have contributed to his actions.
The court also heard testimony from a security doorman, who confirmed that Chalachew had targeted drunken women on at least two other occasions, with members of the public intervening to prevent further harm.
In light of his crimes, Chalachew was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with an extended license period of eight years.
The severity of his sentence reflects the gravity of his offenses and the court’s recognition of the ongoing threat he poses to society.
