CHRISTINE CUNNINGHAM An asylum seeker who brutally attacked and repeatedly raped a terrified woman in his Norwich flat was today jailed for 11 and half years and now faces deportation after he serves his sentence.

CHRISTINE CUNNINGHAM

An asylum seeker who brutally attacked and repeatedly raped a terrified woman in his Norwich flat was today jailed for 11 and half years and now faces deportation after he serves his sentence.

Russian-speaking Yurij Nekrasov, 39, attacked his victim, an Estonian working as a nanny in Norwich, after they had been drinking at his flat in Knowland Grove.

When she refused to have sex with him he repeatedly punched her leaving her bruised from “top to toe” and then raped her five times as she was too scared to leave the flat and escape to safety, Norwich Crown Court heard.

The vulnerable victim did not know who to contact and raised the alarm by phoning her husband home in Estonia who then phoned her employer, who finally contacted police.

Norfolk police said the case sent out a message to all minority groups in Norfolk that despite any language barriers their complaints would be fully investigated and those responsible brought to justice.

Lindsay Cox, prosecuting, said the victim had met with others at Nekrasov's flat and they had been drinking vodka.

When the others left, Nekrasov demanded sex and when she refused he beat her till she ended up on the floor where the assault continued and he then pinned her down and raped her.

She was too terrified to try to leave the flat and remained there for more than 24 hours in which time she was raped a further four times by Nekrasov. The woman managed to phone her husband back in Estonia and pleaded with him to get help.

Mr Cox said her husband then contacted her employers and police were called and she was released from the flat.

He said the victim had sustained swelling and bruising all over her body and said her injuries were consistent with a “violent sexual attack.”

While in custody Nekrasov tried to get a fellow Lithuanian to get the victim to drop charges against him. Nekrasov admitted five rapes, causing actual bodily harm and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Jailing him and placing him on the sex offenders register for life Judge Paul Downes told Nekrasov he had committed the offences while he was drunk and had beat up the victim from “top to toe” before raping her.

“The lady was clearly quite terrified and obviously not consenting. This is a very serious case of violent rape.”

He said he then tried to get her to drop her charges. “Whatever you may do in your country, in this country you are not able to persuade witnesses to stop the case.”

He said normally such actions resulted in a jail term.

Jonathan Goodman, mitigating, said Nekrasov came to Britain five years ago claiming political asylum. “He has been a productive member of society and has always worked.”

He speaks Russian and despite his time in the country Mr Goodman said Nekrasov spoke little English.

He said Nekrasov had tried to get the victim to drop charges and offered her compensation as he thought it was the “right thing to do.”

After the case investigating officer Det Con Peter Williams said: “This was quite clearly an absolutely awful ordeal for this victim - she was badly beaten, raped five times, and intimidated further in the months following the incident.

“Sexual offences can be by their very nature extremely difficult to investigate and detect and this case was made all the more challenging due to language barriers, which were painstakingly overcome by the considered use of interpreters.

“We are pleased that somebody who was a visitor to our country had the confidence with the British police service and legal system to report this incident and as a result a very positive outcome has been achieved, which I hope sends a clear message to all minority groups within the Norwich area that we will treat your complaints seriously and leave no stone unturned in investigating them.”

t Lithuanian Aurelijus Dzidzinas, 38, who helped Nekrasov to try to get the victim to drop the rape complaint, was given a six-month sentence suspended for 12 months. Dzidzinas, of Russett Grove, Norwich, who admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice, was also ordered to pay £300 towards prosecution costs.