Serial Sunderland rapist appeals against his 32-year sentence

A serial rapist jailed for more than three decades has launched a legal bid to have his sentence slashed.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Former student Omar Sharif was locked up for 32-and-a-half years after plying his teenage victims with free drugs before sexually assaulting them.

Sharif, now 24, of Brunton Terrace, Millfield, Sunderland, was jailed nearly a year ago after he was convicted of four counts of raping three women as well as one count of sexual assault and a string of drugs charges.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He is now seeking leave from London’s Court of Appeal to challenge his sentence.

Omar Sharif is attempting to appeal against his sentence.Omar Sharif is attempting to appeal against his sentence.
Omar Sharif is attempting to appeal against his sentence.

The case will be heard today, although a final decision on whether the jail term should be reduced may not be made until a later date.

Sharif was imprisoned at Newcastle Crown Court in December 2018 after he was found guilty at the end of a second trial.

A first trial had earlier ended before a jury could reach verdicts.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Named after the film icon, the court heard he drove a Mercedes sports car with a personalised plate and had been commended for charity work.

But beneath the veneer of respectability lay a “manipulative man” who targeted vulnerable women with free drugs such as MDMA.

He would then rape his victims at locations including a Sunderland hotel and a seafront car-park near Seaham.

The lead investigator in the case, Acting Superintendent Claire Wheatley, of Northumbria Police, said afterwards that Sharif “thought he was untouchable”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sharif also admitted perverting the cause of justice in relation to evidence he gave at the first trial.Acting Supt Wheatley added last December: "These women have been incredibly brave and have been supported throughout the investigation by officers from our dedicated victim team.“I hope today they feel a sense of justice and relief after giving evidence at two trials after the first collapsed because of Sharif's lies.”