A PROFESSIONAL BELLYDANCER in London has been sentenced to a total of 13 years in prison for raping one woman and sexually assaulting two others.
30-year-old Shafik Abd El Hamed, who ran his own business teaching bellydancing, was convicted of two counts of rape, one count of causing women to engage in sexual activity and one count of sexual assault, at Snaresbrook Crown Court in London today.
The first victim, a 23-year-old woman, had attended a bellydance audition in May 2007 and was invited by the defendant to visit his studio for a second audition. When she arrived she found the venue was actually his home address. He asked her to undress, saying he needed to check how quickly she could remove her clothes backstage. He then raped her.
The second victim, aged 33, attended Abd El Hamed’s address between March and July 2012 for private lessons. It was during these lessons that she alleged she was raped. The defendant was subsequently convicted of causing her to engage in sexual activity without consent.
In October 2011, a third woman, aged 31, booked a dance lesson with the man ahead of a show she was taking part in. He then sexually assaulted her during that lesson.
In police interview Abd El Hamed denied the offences but claimed he’d had consensual sex with the second victim.
Respected
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Jacqueline Burns, said the man was “respected in the bellydancing community” both as a performer and a teacher.
“He used this to his advantage to rape and sexually assault three different women,”she continued. “I praise their courage in coming forward, it has been an incredibly stressful and traumatic time for them, and am pleased that Abd El Hamed has been convicted.”
The 30-year-old was sentenced to 10 years for each of the rapes, to be served concurrently, 21 months for causing a woman to engage in sexual activity and 15 months for the sexual assault, to be served consecutively.
He was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and a subject to a sexual offences prevention order with out time limit.
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