Overview

• Abdelrahmen Adnan Abouelela, 42, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to eight-and-a-half years for the November rape of a woman he lured to a secluded spot in Hyde Park.
• The Metropolitan Police published his custody photograph following media requests, providing the first official image since his arrest.
• Judge Gregory Perrins said psychiatric diagnoses offered minimal mitigation and praised the victim for her courage in giving evidence.
• Court reporting states Abouelela arrived in the UK in April 2023, claimed asylum, and was housed in a Hilton hotel in Ealing while his claim was considered.
• Some outlets report he was convicted in absentia in Egypt in 2015 over a bomb‑making cell, a claim not part of the UK court’s findings.