Sex attacker snared after dropping earphone at scene of the crime

A man who sexually assaulted two women on a dark underpass was caught after he dropped an earphone at the scene.

Rahmat Karimi, 27, groped the 46 and 24-year-old women in Glasgow’s Cowcaddens area on January 22 this year.

Karimi pounced on the first woman after he called for help and she went to assist him.

Karimi then put his hands down the second victim’s jeans, strangled and kissed her around 30 minutes later.

Karimi dropped an earphone before fleeing the scene which was later recovered and swabbed for DNA which pinned him to the crimes.

Karimi pled not guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to assaulting the two women with intent to rape.

However, jurors on Friday convicted him and he will be sentenced next month pending background reports.

Sheriff Joan Kerr said: “These are extremely serious matters.

“These are so serious that at stages of this trial I have thought you were fortunate to be prosecuted at the sheriff court rather than the high court.

“You subjected two women to frightening, violent and violating attacks.

“You did two of these in the space of about 30 minutes in one evening.

“It has been established your intention to rape these women and the intervention of others was most fortunate.”

The 24-year-old woman was walking home from work around 9pm when Karimi touched her bum at the underpass.

She stated in evidence: “I told him what are you doing, stop, but he wouldn’t stop he did it twice, I tried to tell him I would call the police.

“When I showed him my phone to show I was calling the police, he took it off me.”

Karimi grabbed her by the arm and she was pushed to the ground.

Karimi was unable to take off her jeans but put his hand inside them.

The woman added: “He realised he couldn’t do anything, he couldn’t touch me so he lay on top of me and tried to kiss me.”

She claimed the man “strangled” her by putting his two hands around her neck.

The woman claimed she “let” Karimi kiss her on the lips in order to push him away.

She stated that Karimi ran away when a woman arrived on the scene.

Prosecutor Mark Allan asked if the man left anything behind, and she stated: “Yes, his earphones. Apple ones.”

The woman stated that they were recovered by the police.

Forensic scientist Suzanne Farrer told jurors that she analysed the white earbud.

Mr Allan asked: “There was a mixed DNA profile obtained which contained the presence of DNA from Karimi, the woman and another person?”

Ms Farrer replied: “Yes.”

The witness added that swabs from the woman’s lips, underpants, jeans, jacket and gloves also contained traces of Karimi’s DNA.

Jurors earlier heard from the 46-year-old woman, who was walking a distance behind her boyfriend at the underpass around 8.25pm.

She then came across Karimi who was lying on a slope.

The woman told jurors: “He was asking for help and I thought there was something wrong with him, he was maybe hurt.

“I went to see if I could help at all.”

The woman claimed the man then gestured while exposing himself.

The woman called Karimi a “pervert” before catching up with her boyfriend.

Her partner then went searching for Karimi, leaving her alone.

Karimi then appeared on the scene again asking for help.

Mr Allan asked what happened.

The woman replied: “I walked on quickly telling him to go away and to leave me alone. He caught up quickly.

“By that time, we were back at the underpass and he grabbed me and put his left hand on my mouth then put his hand down the front of my leggings.”

The woman was then repeatedly groped by Karimi as she was screaming for her boyfriend.

Karimi tried to drag her backwards as she tried to fend him off.

The woman stated he fled the scene after two people arrived who had watched events take place from their nearby flat.

The trio then reported the matter to the police.

Mr Allan asked how the woman felt about the incident, and she replied: “Violated, upset, I went to try and help someone and that’s what happened to me.”

Karimi was put on the Sex Offenders’ Register for an indefinite period meantime.