Student stabbed in the neck after attempting to rape 2 women in one night

A judge has praised a victim who stabbed a 'sex predator' in the neck with her keys after he pounced on her in the street.

Church-going student Joshua Okugbeni, 21, ran off with his trousers still down after the brave woman punctured his skin.

He had grabbed the woman from behind as she walked to work one morning - putting his hand over her mouth and dragging her towards a wall.

Okugbeni asked the victim for a kiss and pulled his own trousers down- and his victim reacted in fear she was about to be raped.

A court heard Okugbeni had already left another woman petrified after following her off the Newcastle Metro.

He stalked her through the streets and also grabbed her with his hand over her mouth.

Today the pharmacy student was jailed for five years and four months at Newcastle Crown Court after he admitted assault with intent to commit a sexual offence and common assault.

The first victim was on her way to work around 6.45am last November when she ended up in the same Metro carriage as Okugbeni.

He moved to sit closer to her then got off behind her at Seaburn station, following her along the platform and into nearby streets.

As she walked along he suddenly grabbed her arm from behind then pretended he just wanted directions.

The woman was petrified and Okugbeni repeatedly apologised but then kept following her, as she quickened her step in fear.

She raised the alarm and Okugbeni pushed her against a door and put his hand over her mouth, muffling her shouts for help.

He then gave up, running away until he came across the second victim, who is in her 30s, and fixed his sights on her.

Okugbeni told the woman

"All I want is a kiss, shush, just give me a kiss" and held her against a wall by her shoulders.

Miss Smurthwaite said: “Then he pulled her trousers down and said ‘look’.

“As he said ‘look’ he looked down towards his trousers and she had the presence of mind to unzip her handbag and take hold of her keys.

“She was afraid he would rape her and thought to herself ‘I’m not getting raped by him’ and stabbed him in the neck, wounding him.

“He looked startled and they both ran off, him still with his trousers down.”

Alec Burns, defending, said Okugbeni has questioned whether his drink had been spiked that night but can’t prove it.

Mr Burns added: “This is completely out of character.

“He is a young man from a professional, religious family and both his parents have always attended court and his pastor attends today.

“He understands the distress he must have caused and he has shown genuine remorse and has suffered depression thinking about what he has done to these unfortunate women.

“They are probably happy to hear he has destroyed his own life in this fifteen minutes of madness.

"He was studying pharmacy at university and that is not something he now is able to do.

“He has been helping out at his church since then and he is a young man who has helped with charities.”

Okugbeni was jailed for five years,four months.

[UK Mirror]