Fikadu Yemane, 29, an Eritrean migrant living in Manchester, has been jailed for eight years after being convicted of rape and intentional strangulation. The offences took place on 16th July 2025 in Crewe, Cheshire, following a meeting arranged via social media with the 19-year-old victim.
Attack in Crewe property
Chester Crown Court heard that Yemane, originally from the north-east African country, met the victim in the city centre alongside another man before they agreed to travel to Crewe. When alone with the victim in a property, he forced her into a bedroom, removed her clothes and raped her. During the assault, he put his hand over her mouth and strangled her to the point that she nearly passed out, leaving visible marks on her neck.
Conviction and sentence
After a 10-day trial, Yemane was convicted of rape and intentional strangulation. He was jailed for eight years and ordered to sign the Sex Offender’s Register indefinitely.
Detective Constable Jaymie Johnson, of Cheshire Police, 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."
Escape and arrest
Cheshire Police said Yemane waited until he and the victim were alone before the attack. The second man later returned and pulled Yemane off the victim, allowing her to escape and call for help. Yemane fled on foot before officers arrived, and remained on the run for six days before being located and arrested in Manchester. During that period, he changed the SD card in his phone in an attempt to cover his tracks.
In interview, Yemane claimed that everything that had occurred was consensual, despite not engaging in sex. However, a condom containing DNA from both Yemane and the victim was recovered from a wheelie bin at the address, along with the victim’s underwear.
Detective Constable 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 victim by forcing her to relive the ordeal all over again during his subsequent ten-day trail. 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.
"I do hope that now this case has reached its conclusion, the victim can 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. I commend her for her bravery throughout the entire investigation.
"Even upon Yemane’s eventual release from custody, he will remain the subject of the Sex Offender’s Register, meaning he will be monitored by specialist officers for the remainder of his life, ensuring that he never causes harm to another person."
