A traumatic assault on a vulnerable woman outside Worthing Hospital has been laid bare in court, as a delivery driver is sentenced to nine years and three months in prison. Suleman Mukaish, 27, from Worthing, West Sussex, was handed the substantial sentence after admitting rape at an earlier hearing.
The victim, who had attended the hospital on 11 March, had been described as intoxicated, confused, and unsteady on her feet. Shortly after leaving the hospital, she was assaulted by Mukaish in a car park adjacent to the hospital. The woman reportedly attempted to resist by holding onto a wall before being forced onto the bonnet of a car and attacked.
A member of the public discovered the victim a short time later and reported the assault to police, triggering an investigation. Officers identified the vehicle involved and found hand and fingerprints, leading to Mukaish's arrest two days later at Gatwick Airport while in possession of a one-way ticket to Pakistan.
During sentencing, Judge Christine Henson KC highlighted the extreme vulnerability of the victim, stating she was "at her most vulnerable when you, a complete stranger, raped her over the bonnet of a car in the car park adjacent to the hospital that she had just left."
The psychological impact on the victim has been described as immense, with flashbacks rendering her unable to return to the hospital. Mukaish's defence initially claimed he stopped to assist the woman, but his counsel suggested he offered her money "essentially on an understanding" that he could do as he wished.
Judge Henson KC firmly rejected this narrative, stating that the offer of money "reinforces your attitude of sexual entitlement". She warned of a risk that Mukaish could commit further offences, underscoring the serious consequences for individuals who exploit the vulnerability of others, particularly in circumstances where victims are in need of care or support.