Drunk man claiming to be Saddam Hussein raped woman on river bank after watching 'outdoor porn'

A Kuwaiti man who told police he was Saddam Hussein has been convicted of raping a stranger on a riverbank after watching outdoor porn on his mobile phone.

Abdel-Aziz Al-Shamary raped a woman on a grassy bank by the River Skerne after she left a Darlington pub in the early hours of 17 May.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Al-Shamary punched his victim in the nose before the attack and told another woman: "Allah's going to get you".

The 21-year-old defendant came to the UK illegally in 2015 and the court heard how he had drunk from two bottles of Jack Daniel's during the evening.

When he was arrested, Al-Shamary told police: "Do you know Saddam Hussein? I am Saddam Hussein".

He also told one policewoman: "I will not talk to you, you are a woman" when the takeaway worker was apprehended minutes after the attack.

It was heard that on the evening of the incident Al-Shamary had been watching porn, including outdoor sex, on his phone and had told another woman that she was an "ugly bitch" and that "Allah is going to get you".

The victim told how she left The Greyhound pub in Darlington before she was "pushed over", according to the Daily Telegraph.

"I left the pub and he came over to me and pushed me over on the grass of the river bank," she said. "I fell face-down with my arms in front of me and I turned to look at him and he punched me in the face.

"He punched me again with his fist and hit me on the nose, when I put my hand to my face it was covered in blood.

"Then he got on top of me from behind, I could feel his weight on me. He pulled down my jeans and my pants and I could feel that he was raping me."

She continued: "He told me not to say anything or he would come back and hurt me. He made me feel horrible, scared and frightened."

Al-Shamary was arrested near the town's police station after assistance from two witnesses of the attack reported the incident to police. He was arrested later that night.

Judge Sean Morris adjourned sentencing to allow for a report to be prepared which his attitude towards women will be assessed.

Prosecutors said there would be an application for him to be deported once his sentence was served. Al-Shamary is due to be sentenced in three weeks.