A rapist who strangled a woman to the point she nearly passed out has been jailed for eight years. Fikadu Yemane, 29, was arrested in Manchester six days after the attack and has now been sentenced at Chester Crown Court.
Yemane, of Castleton Walk in the Bradford district of east Manchester, but originally from Eritrea, met the woman in Manchester in July 2025 after they arranged to meet via social media. They knew each other and had arranged to go to an address in Crewe, Cheshire, together with another man on the day.
Attack details
Cheshire Police said Yemane forced the woman into a bedroom where he raped her. During the assault, he put his hand over her mouth and strangled her to the point that she nearly passed out, with visible marks left on her neck.
The other man dragged him off her and he ran away. Police said he remained on the run for six days before his arrest in Manchester.
Evading police
During that period, Yemane made active attempts to cover his tracks and evade police by changing the SD card in his phone. In interview, he told officers that, despite not engaging in sex, everything that had occurred between him and the victim had been consensual.
Police were able to recover crucial DNA evidence from the scene.
Trial and sentencing
Yemane pleaded not guilty to the charges but was found guilty by a jury at Chester Crown Court after a 10-day trial of one count of rape and intentional strangulation. He was jailed at a sentencing hearing on Thursday for eight years and was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely.
Detective Constable Jaymie Johnson said: "Fikadu Yemane’s behaviour was downright predatory. He took advantage of a vulnerable victim, who thought she was with someone she could trust, before going on to rape her and cause her serious injury when she bravely fought back against him."
Johnson added: "Even when he was faced with evidence that directly linked him to the crime, that he had made active attempts to dispose of, Yemane caused further suffering to the victim by forcing her to relive the ordeal all over again during his subsequent 10-day trial. With that in mind, I am glad that the jury have reached a guilty verdict on both counts and Yemane has been handed a significant custodial sentence."
The detective said she hoped the victim can now be provided with a much-needed sense of closure and can begin to move forward with her life, knowing justice has been secured and her attacker has been held to account. She commended the victim for her bravery throughout the entire investigation.
