'Failed asylum seeker' admits male rape attack in Sunderland

Ayoub Khalifa targeted the stranger in Sunderland in the early hours of September 13 last year.

The victim was left unconscious after the shocking attack.

At Newcastle Crown court yesterday Khalifa, 29, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to a charge of rape.

He appeared at the hearing via videolink to HMP Durham and took part in the proceedings with the aid of an Arabic interpreter.

Khalifa will be sentenced on April 4 and has been remanded in custody in the meantime.

Judge Robert Adams said the case involves a “very serious allegation” but gave no indication of what the likely sentence will be.

Proscutor Anne Richardson told the court it is believed Khalifa is a “failed asylum seeker”.

The victim was attacked after leaving a nightclub in the city in the early hours of the morning.

Police launched an investigation and carried out extra patrols after it was reported.