Men found guilty of raping woman in Roker Avenue flat due to be sentenced

Two men who were found guilty of raping a woman inside a Sunderland home will find out their fate at their sentencing hearing.
Araz Abdulla, 23, left, and Saheed Rasoolli, 30, right.Araz Abdulla, 23, left, and Saheed Rasoolli, 30, right.
Araz Abdulla, 23, left, and Saheed Rasoolli, 30, right.

Saheed Rasoolli, 30, and Araz Abdulla, 23, each took a turn to rape the stranger in the bedroom of a flat where asylum seekers were being housed in Roker Avenue after she was lured there from a bus stop in May this year.

The men both denied rape and claimed during their trial at Newcastle Crown Court that the woman consented to what happened.

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Abdulla, of Roker Avenue, and Rasoolli, of Hylton Road, Sunderland, were both remanded in custody ahead of Monday's hearing.

Following the verdict, Northumbria Police's Chief Superintendent Sarah Pitt praised the woman for her help in bring them to justice, as well as the team who supported her during the trial

She added: “There can be no doubt whatsoever that the streets of Sunderland are a safer place without Rasoolli and Abdulla.”