Ipswich – Man jailed for sexual assaults

A man has been jailed for sexually assaulting a woman he followed when she was walking home from a night out in Ipswich.

Alazar Yohans appeared before Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday 17 April, where he was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.

Yohans, who is of no fixed address, had been found guilty of two counts of sexual assault on Thursday 28 March following a four-day trial. He was found not guilty in respect of a third charge of sexual assault.

Yohans – who had claimed to be 18-years-old, but the Home Office determined that he is aged between 27 and 32 years old – was also made to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and was made subject of a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The assaults took place in the early hours of the morning on Monday 2 October, against one victim – a woman aged in her 30s.

An initial incident had occurred at a bar in the town centre at around 1.30am, where Yohans had kissed the victim without her consent. The victim then told her boyfriend who confronted Yohans inside the bar.

At around 1.50am Yohans and a friend left the bar and loitered in the area outside. A short while later the victim and her boyfriend left the bar and began walking towards St Peters Street and Stoke Bridge, followed at a distance by Yohans and his friend.

The victim and her boyfriend became separated and Yohans and his friend continued to follow her. When in the vicinity of Luther Road and Rectory Road, Yohans approached her and put his hand down her trousers.

The victim managed to get away and call police and at just after 3.35am Yohans was located in Maidenhall Approach and subsequently arrested. He was charged on Thursday 5 October and made his first court appearance the next day.

The court was shown CCTV footage of the incident inside the bar and also camera footage from an address in Rectory Road that picked-up audio of the victim telling Yohans to ‘leave me alone’.

Detective Constable Liam Theobald, of the South Safeguarding Investigation Unit, said: “Alazar Yohans’ behaviour can only be described as that of a predator. Not content with forcefully kissing the victim inside the bar, his very deliberate actions of following her as she walked home and then waiting for her to be on her own before subjecting her to an even more serious sexual assault, clearly demonstrate his mindset.

“I would like to pay tribute to the victim for her bravery and commitment to working with us throughout the investigation to ensure we achieved this conviction, and also thank the Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) who supported the victim through this process.

“Women should feel safe to go for a night out and walk home without being subjected to attacks such as this. I hope this outcome underlines Suffolk Police’s commitment to prosecuting sex offenders and also that it will encourage anyone else who is a victim of this type of offence to come forward.”

Anyone who would like to speak to someone in confidence about sexual abuse or violence can contact Suffolk Police on 101, or staff at The Ferns on 0300 1235058, or via email: [email protected] or online at: www.theferns-suffolk.org.uk

Further information, support and advice is also available from the following groups:

www.survivorsintransition.co.uk Survivors in Transition - Specialist support in Suffolk for female and male survivors of childhood sexual abuse, violence and exploitation.

Here To Help | Brave Futures Brave Futures, is a specialist support service for children and young people up to the age of 18 years who have experienced sexual abuse. 

www.suffolkrapecrisis.org.uk Suffolk Rape Crisis – Support service open to females aged 14 or above who needs support following a rape or sexual assault.