Man found guilty of raping woman at Portsmouth address

A man has been convicted following the rape of a 47-year-old woman at an address in Portsmouth earlier this year.

Erol Barjami, 43, of Howard Road, has been found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting the woman at his address on the evening of Friday 20 January 2023.

He pleaded not guilty, but the jury delivered the verdict yesterday (Wednesday 14 June) following a three day trial.

The woman reported that she had met Barjami that evening after speaking to him on a dating site.

Following the verdict, he was remanded in custody to appear before Winchester Crown Court on Tuesday 5 September for sentencing.

Detective Constable Emily Dummer, who led the investigation, said: “We are pleased with this result from court today, and I would like to commend the victim for her bravery throughout the investigation and trial. I would like to thank her for having the courage to report this to us, as without her support we would not have secured this outcome today.

“I hope that this result reassures our community that we take these allegations very seriously, and will work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice.

“We want to reassure anyone who reports incidents of serious sexual assault and rape to us that they will be believed, and they will be offered specialist support and provided with a specially trained officer.”

If you have been the victim of rape or sexual assault please report it to us via 101 or online at https://www.hampshire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/

Always call 999 if a crime is in progress or if you are in danger.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary are here to support you whether you're ready to report it to us or you'd prefer to talk to a support organisation. For more information please visit: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/advice/rape-sexual-assault-and-other-sexual-offences/how-to-report-rape-sexual-assault-other-sexual-offences/