Woman raped by Syrian teen on UK seafront says ‘I let it occur so it might be faster’
Mohammed Abdullah, 19, is accused of raping a young woman in the early hours of July 6, 2025, after he allegedly offered to give her a ride home on his e-bike on Bournemouth seafront
The horrifying incident happened on the Bournemouth seafront(Image: Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
A teenager from Syria is accused of raping a young woman in a portable toilet on Bournemouth seafront after he offered to take her home on his e-bike, a court has heard.
Mohammed Abdullah, 19, is standing trial at Bournemouth Crown Court charged with the rape and assault by penetration of the complainant in the early hours of July 6, 2025. Prosecutor Mark Eldridge told the court that the complainant had been out with a friend that night, initially in Charminster then at Bar So in Bournemouth, Dorset.
He stated she had consumed a “fair amount of drink” and was asked to leave the bar, which she did, before she and her friend went their separate ways. The prosecutor explained that the complainant then struggled to arrange a taxi home as her phone battery had died, and she began walking along the seafront towards Boscombe Pier.
He said that she then encountered the defendant and a group of approximately five other men whom she asked for help with directions on their phones.
One of the men suggested that the defendant could give her a lift home on his e-bike and she accepted the offer, Mr Eldridge said.
The defendant, who was 18 at the time, then cycled with her towards a set of portable toilets.
The prosecutor said that a couple strolling along the seafront saw the defendant cycling up with the complainant behind him, her arms around his waist.
They then observed the defendant carrying the woman in front of him with her legs wrapped around his waist, Mr Eldridge said.
He stated that one of the witnesses shouted to the defendant “What are you doing with her, I hope you are not going to do anything with her”, before he disappeared from view.
Mr Eldridge told the court that Abdullah then sexually assaulted the complainant before leading her into one of the portable toilets where he locked the door and raped her.
Mr Eldridge said: “She was wriggling and trying to fight and then thought if she let it happen it would be quicker.” He added: “The defendant kissed her aggressively and she pulled away but somehow got a burst lip.” He said that afterwards the defendant rode off while the complainant “took her shoes off in order to run”.
She then sought assistance from passers-by, asking to use their phones to call her mother, who she informed she had been raped, before she contacted the police. Mr Eldridge said that one man who assisted her described her as “appearing distressed”.
The complainant later told police: “I remember being pinned by my back to the Portaloo, I remember my leg being lifted up, his hand then went up my skirt.
“I thought if I let if happen it would be quicker so I tried to fight a little but I just thought I will let him. I remember being dragged into the portable loo at this point, the door being shut and locked, I remember being forced over.”
She added: “The next thing I knew he was gone. I exited the toilet, I took my shoes off so I could run. I saw him riding back to his friends.”
Mr Eldridge stated that the defendant, hailing from West Drayton, Middlesex, was apprehended and informed police during questioning that the complainant had given consent to both the sexual contact and intercourse.
The defendant, who migrated to the UK from Syria in 2023 and was granted indefinite leave to remain under a family reunion scheme, was aided by an Arabic interpreter throughout the hearing.
He refutes the charges and the trial is ongoing.
