Barzan Nawshowani assaulted a 20-year-old woman at his barber shop on Duke Street in Glasgow after she had been drinking during a night out.
Nawshowani, an Iraqi Kurdish refugee who obtained asylum in the UK, was found guilty of raping the woman and initially received a six-year prison sentence after a trial.
However, the Crown contested the leniency of this sentence at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh, with Scotland’s senior law officer Dorothy Bain KC arguing that it was too lenient.
Following the appeal, Lord Doherty, alongside Lord Matthews and Lord Beckett, overturned the original sentence, increasing the offender’s prison term to eight years. They also mandated an additional three-year period of community supervision, during which he could be reincarcerated for violating parole conditions.
Lord Doherty noted that Nawshowani, 37 at the time of the offense in August 2022, targeted a vulnerable young woman, displaying a premeditated and predatory behavior that warranted a harsher punishment.
The judge emphasized that the impact on the victim had been severe, indicating the gravity of the assault and the need for adequate punishment to protect the public, condemn the offender’s actions, and deter similar offenses.
Lord Doherty concluded by affirming that individuals who prey on vulnerable women, especially in situations like taxi rides, should expect severe consequences from the courts, emphasizing the importance of ensuring safety for all travelers.
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