Three men have been jailed after a Derbyshire woman was raped and sexually assaulted

Two men who raped a Derbyshire woman and a third who sexually assaulted her at the defendants’ shared house have been jailed.
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Derby Crown Court heard on March 6 how Ronaldo Isaku, Danil Bakirtzis and Bernard Tola must have thought they were “untouchable” because the victim, from Belper, was so intoxicated when they abused her.

Judge Jonathan Bennett jailed Isaku, 24, for eight-and-a-half years, and Bakirtzis, 22, for eight years after they were both found guilty of rape at a previous trial hearing.

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Tola, 26, had been found guilty of sexual assault and was jailed for four years.

Ronaldo Isaku, 24, of Drewry Lane, Derby, was jailed for eight-and-a-half years after he was found guilty of raping a Derbyshire woman.Ronaldo Isaku, 24, of Drewry Lane, Derby, was jailed for eight-and-a-half years after he was found guilty of raping a Derbyshire woman.
Ronaldo Isaku, 24, of Drewry Lane, Derby, was jailed for eight-and-a-half years after he was found guilty of raping a Derbyshire woman.

Judge Bennett told them: “She was, by all accounts, almost comatose and you took advantage of the position she was in. She was not just tipsy, she was in an appalling state because of the effects of drink and you knew that.

“It is clear to me you were acting together and there was almost an element of planning.”

He added: “I have absolutely no doubt she has suffered psychological harm and I have heard her victim personal statement.

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“In it she says how her life has changed, she has had thoughts of suicide and this has affected her career.

Pictured is Danil Bakirtzis, 22, of Drewry Lane, Derby, who has been jailed for eight-years after he was found guilty of raping a Belper woman.Pictured is Danil Bakirtzis, 22, of Drewry Lane, Derby, who has been jailed for eight-years after he was found guilty of raping a Belper woman.
Pictured is Danil Bakirtzis, 22, of Drewry Lane, Derby, who has been jailed for eight-years after he was found guilty of raping a Belper woman.

“You thought you were untouchable because she was so drunk.

“You thought that because of her condition no-one could touch you. But you were wrong.”

The trial had heard how the victim had been drinking and she and her group had gone to Fever nightclub, on The Wardwick, Derby.

Her group and others containing the defendants and their friends met in the smoking area and agreed to go back to a house in Drewry Lane, Derby, to carry on drinking.

Pictured is Bernard Tola, 26, of Drewry Lane, Derby, who has been jailed for four years after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a Belper woman.Pictured is Bernard Tola, 26, of Drewry Lane, Derby, who has been jailed for four years after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a Belper woman.
Pictured is Bernard Tola, 26, of Drewry Lane, Derby, who has been jailed for four years after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a Belper woman.
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Both groups moved to a second address in Drewry Lane where the defendants lived and the victim was raped twice and sexually assaulted on July 14, 2017.

Stephen Kemp, prosecuting, said the woman was too drunk to consent to having sex.

He added: “The prosecution say she had so much to drink she was simply incapable of looking after herself and incapable of resisting.

“We say it would have been obvious to the defendants she was in such a state and she was incapable of giving her consent.”

Pictured is Derby Crown Court.Pictured is Derby Crown Court.
Pictured is Derby Crown Court.
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Mr Kemp told the jury that after being at the second address, two of the woman’s friends left while they gave a lift home to two others and when they returned they discovered the complainant passed out and naked in a bed with Tola.

Mr Kemp said they managed to shake the woman awake and got her in the car.

He said: “She began to cry and was asked what had happened.

“She said she did not want to talk about it so they pulled the car over and tried to console her.

“That’s when she said ‘they took it in turns, I don’t want to remember it, I want to forget it ever happened’.

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“One of the friends called 999 and were told to go to St Mary’s Wharf police station.”

Two other men who were also accused of raping the woman but were cleared of the charges they faced.

Kevin Waddingham, for Isaku, said his client has no previous convictions and had moved to the UK from his home in northern Greece for a better life.

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He said: “This case has turned into a personal nightmare for him. He never denied having sex with the victim. The only issues was consent.”

Jessica Strange, representing Bakirtzis, said her client also has no previous convictions and maintains his innocence.

And Joe Harvey, representing Tola, said his client arrived in the UK from Greece in 2016 and was trying to make a better life for himself.

Judge Bennett said a decision on whether or not to deport the three men at the end of their sentence would be down to the Home Office.