Man jailed for more than six years following rape in Southampton park

A man has been jailed for six years and three months after being convicted of rape following an incident in the Southampton area in June earlier this year.

Today (Friday 6 December), 23-year-old Ozbeg Teymuroglu of no fixed abode was sentenced, after previously being found unanimously guilty of rape during a trial at Southampton Crown Court which began on Monday 2 December and concluded on Thursday 4 December.

During the four-day hearing, the jury heard how the victim – a woman in her 40s – went to The Edge nightclub on Wednesday 5 June with friends having arrived just after 10.30pm. At some stage, she has become separated from her friendship group and CCTV showed her dancing by herself, before being approached by Teymuroglu – who had arrived at the venue just after 01:00am.

The court heard how the pair danced for only a few minutes before he suggested they leave the venue together, with the victim refusing and citing that she wanted to remain with her friends.

Sometime later, at around 04.25am, Teymuroglu can be seen on venue CCTV to take the hand of the victim, having lured her outside on the rouse that he had seen her friends leave the nightclub and wanting to reunite her with them.

Having guided her into East Park, suggesting this is where he had seen the victims friends, she quickly queried this, stating that her friend would not walk through the park at night alone and began to pull away from Teymuroglu and walk back towards the nightclub. Yet she was pulled into a secluded area of the park and raped by Teymuroglu.

Following the incident, the victim used her nous to create a fictitious excuse that someone had attempt to call her mobile phone and wanted to make a call; it was at this stage she took the opportunity to escape from Teymuroglu and go back towards the venue where she located her friend and reported the incident to police.

The jury were told how Teymuroglu was identified through CCTV and copies of his identification he had used to gain entry into the venue. He was located two days following the incident in Milton Keynes before being arrested, and subsequently charged with rape.

Ozbeg Teymuroglu appearing at Southampton Crown Court on Friday 6 December, was sentenced to six years and three in jail. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for an indefinite period of time.

Detective Constable Mark Gallagher from the Operation Amberstone unit within the Constabulary - which investigates rape and sexual assaults - said: “Rape and sexual offences are some of the most devastating crimes that a person can survive and that’s why we prioritise it as a police force.

“Our team is fully focused on identifying perpetrators who are committing these heinous crimes and ensuring that we secure much-needed justice for the victims.

“Teymuroglu made a decision to isolate the victim from her friends to commit this crime and then decided to make her give evidence to prove his guilt rather than admitting what he had done. Although this was a difficult process for her, she gave evidence and the jury believed her.

“The court allows for special measures for victims of sexual offences to give evidence and specialist officers from our team will support victims throughout the investigation - and through to court if someone is charged - so I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of rape to report this to the police.

“I thank the victim and the other witnesses in this case for coming forward and giving evidence, making our city safer as a result.

“I am hopeful that today’s sentencing will allow for the victim to begin to process her ordeal, provide her with that closure and allow her to move forward with her life knowing that Ozbeg Teymuroglu can no longer cause harm to her or others.”

Southampton Chief Inspector Mark Lumley said: “This is an extremely concerning crime committed against a clearly vulnerable woman while out in the local night-time economy. No one should ever have to face the ordeal that the victim did at the hands of Teymuroglu when all that she wanted to do was enjoy an evening out with friends. There is simply never any excuses for the actions that Teymuroglu took – he will have been acutely aware of the wrongdoing that he was committing at that moment.

“At a local district-level, we continue to work closely with key partners across the city, including Southampton City Council, licensed premises including bars and clubs, security staff, street pastors and Southampton Central Ambulance Service have conversations around how we can best protect and safeguard women and girls here in Southampton. Working in partnership is key to making our streets, open spaces, public transport and homes safer for women and girls, and we want you to know that we are here to protect you if you need our help.”

We appreciate not everyone has the confidence to report to police. However, there are organisations in your area, completely independent of the police that can help you if you need it. Visit our website here to find a list of support services near you that can help: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/daa/domestic-abuse/support-organisations/.