Judge’s praise for woman who stabbed sex attack ‘predator’ in the neck with her KEYS after he attacked her on her in street
Church-goer Joshua Okugbeni fled with his trousers still around his ankles
A BRAVE woman who feared she was about be raped plunged a door key into her attacker’s neck, a court has heard.
Church-going pharmacy student Joshua Okugbeni pounced on the unnamed victim on her morning walk to work.
The 21-year-old was heard to have dragged her against a wall after putting his hand over her mouth last November.
But when the assailant tried to kiss his victim and pulled his trousers down, the woman – aged in her thirties - grabbed a set of keys and plunged it into his neck.
Okugbeni – who was jailed for five years – fled in agony with his trousers still around his ankles.
Newcastle crown court also heard that he had only minutes earlier accosted another woman he followed from the city’s metro system, again planting his hands over his victim’s mouth.
She only escaped after the pervert fled when she began to cry for help.
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Judge Christopher Prince told Okugbeni: “With admirable courage and presence of mind the second victim reached into her handbag, took out a bunch of keys and, in the belief you were about to rape her, she stabbed you in the neck with those keys.
“That allowed her to escape from your clutches and run away.
“She was in an absolutely terrified state, not that that must diminish the admiration everybody must have for her fighting back so tenaciously.
“This is every woman and man’s nightmare, that as they try to go about their everyday lives in public streets, they may be attacked by somebody like you, with an intent to commit a sexual offence.”
Okugbeni was heard to have told his second victim ‘All I want is a kiss, shush, just give me a kiss’ and held her against a wall by her shoulders.
Prosecutor Bridie Smurthwaite said: “Then he pulled her trousers down and said ‘look’.
“As he said ‘look’ he looked down towards his trousers and she had the presence of mind to unzip her handbag and take hold of her keys.
“She was afraid he would rape her and thought to herself ‘I’m not getting raped by him’ and stabbed him in the neck, wounding him.
“He looked startled and they both ran off, him still with his trousers down.”
Okugbeni, of Cleadon, South Tyneside, pleaded guilty to common assault on the first victim and assault with intent to commit a sexual offence against the second woman.
The second victim branded him a “sick pervert” in her statement. She added: “This has left me very frightened.
“I believe his intention was to rape me and I think he thought I was an easy target because I’m petite.
“I think he is a predator and a danger to women who needs to be kept away from the public. He is a disgrace to humanity and I hope his life is ruined.”
Alec Burns, defending, said: “This is completely out of character.
“He is a young man from a professional, religious family and both his parents have always attended court and his pastor attends today.”
Judge Christopher Prince jailed Okugbeni for five years and four months and ordered him to sign the sex offenders register for life.
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