Rapist on run from court believed to have fled Scotland for Iran

A rapist who was convicted in his absence of carrying out a sex attack on a sleeping university student has left Scotland for Iran, a court heard.

Omed Hassan failed to appear at the High Court in Edinburgh for the final day of his trial in March this year when jurors were deliberating on their verdict.

Hassan, 26, had denied assaulting and raping the woman on February 3, 2023 at an address in the Fife university town of St Andrews while she was asleep and incapable of giving or withholding consent.

After Hassan, who was on bail, did not turn up, a judge held that it was in the interests of justice for the trial to proceed in his absence.

The jury convicted him by a majority verdict of the sex crime, with Hassan missing from the dock, and sentencing was deferred.

A warrant was issued for his arrest, and Police Scotland said he was known to frequent Perth, Fife, and Aberdeen as an appeal was made to trace him.

The force said extensive enquiries and searches were being made for him and urged members of the public not to approach him, but instead contact police.

The case called on Thursday before the trial judge Lord Ericht and defence solicitor advocate Kris Gilmartin said he understood the court has now received information that Hassan is in Iran.

A post-conviction warrant for the arrest of Hassan was granted, which would bring him before the court for sentence should he be apprehended.

Hassan, formerly of Perth, told his trial through a Kurdish interpreter that he disputed that the woman who he went on “a date” with fell asleep.

Hassan denied that he called the police after the incident to get his version of events in first and maintained it was because he was frightened of the victim’s friends.

He said that earlier in the evening he and the woman were getting on “very well” and were enjoying each other’s company and he went back to the address because she invited him.