Anas Almarjeh 27

Description

A barber who raped two women and shared footage of his victims on social media and with another man has been jailed for 10 years.

Anas Almarjeh, 27, was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow after Judge Lady Hood told him he had taken no responsibility for the crimes or shown "any insight" into the harm caused.

He denied the accusations at trial in October last year but was convicted of two rape charges and one of abusive behavior.

Almarjeh attacked his first victim while she was asleep at a house in Barrhead, Renfrewshire, in late 2019. He also took or recorded a "sexual image" of her, which he showed to a man.

He repeatedly raped and abused his second victim between 2019 and 2022, including being aggressive, name-calling, making threats, locking her out of her home, controlling her movements, contacts, diet, and finances, and taking her money and bank cards.

The woman ended up in tears; Almarjeh filmed her distress and posted it online. The crimes occurred in Glasgow's southside and Barrhead.

Lady Hood said Almarjeh claimed to be the victim of "false allegations" by the women and witnesses.

She added: "The impact statement [for the first woman] has spoken of how your actions affected her health and her ability to work and enjoy life as she did before.

"The second woman described your behaviour in detail. It included you posting footage of her in a distressed state on social media - something which had a destructive impact on her.

"Her mother also spoke of the dramatic change that she saw in her daughter."

Almarjeh was placed on the sex offenders register and given indefinite non-harassment orders banning contact with the victims.