Mohammed Sanana Jailed for Sexual Assault and Attempted Rape

Mohammed Sanana has been sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting a woman and attempting to rape her. Sanana, described as an “opportunistic sexual predator,” had denied allegations of approaching two women in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The assault and attempted rape occurred on the steps near the library on Clarence Street. The victim repeatedly told Sanana “no,” instructed him to go away, and physically pushed him during the incident, which took place on a night out in March at approximately 20:30 GMT. A jury at Gloucester Crown Court convicted Sanana, previously of Ambrose Street in Cheltenham, following a week-long trial. During the proceedings, the 22-year-old asserted that he knew the victim and that his actions were consensual. Despite his claims, the jury unanimously found him guilty on 11 November. Beyond the prison term, Sanana will be placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life. His sentencing took place on 6 December. In a statement, the woman involved described the court process as “very daunting,” despite receiving support from a Sexual Violence Advisor. She stated: “This entire court process did not need to happen and could have all been avoided if he had just admitted to what he had done instead of fabricating a whole story about meeting me before.” She added: “I hope that he is able to learn from this process and will think twice about his actions in the future. I hope that him being convicted of this offence will help to prevent something like this from ever happening again to someone else in order to protect other people in the future.” Detective Chief Inspector Dave Shore-Nye of Gloucestershire Police stated: “Sanana is an opportunistic sexual predator who is now rightly behind bars. He subjected a woman to a terrifying and unforgivable attack which has impacted her life significantly, and I hope his prosecution and conviction will bring her some sense of justice.”