Man Jailed for Sexual Assault in Wellington

Mirzabek Toshpulatov, 21, has been sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison for sexually assaulting a young woman in Wellington last year.

The attack took place in the early hours of Sunday 26 February 2023 in the White Hart Lane area. The victim managed to escape and report the assault to the police.

Following a media appeal for witnesses, Toshpulatov was identified as the perpetrator but had fled the area. He was eventually arrested in Essex in October 2023.

Toshpulatov, formerly of North Street in Wellington, pleaded guilty to sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault by touching. He was sentenced on Friday 16 February at Taunton Crown Court, which is temporarily relocated to North Somerset Courthouse.

In addition to his custodial sentence, Toshpulatov has been ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

The victim, in a statement read to the court, described the impact of the assault, stating it had made her feel "unsafe when walking anywhere." She said: "In the early hours of the morning on Sunday 26 February, I was attacked following a night out. I was sexually assaulted… When I ran off, I was trying to call for help but no one heard me. "The day after it happened, I felt so overwhelmed in trying to understand what had happened to me. Everything we did for the investigation was a new experience for me and I didn't know what would happen from it. It was a lot to come to terms with, and I am still trying to process this now. "Not only has this left life long lasting effects on me, but also my family. They worry about me wherever I go, and fear this could happen again to me, themselves or anyone else."

DC Natalie Norman, the officer in charge of the case, commended the victim's courage in reporting the assault, stating: "Incidents of sexual assault are incredibly rare in Wellington and for it to have been committed by a stranger is even more unusual. "We would like to recognise the courage the woman showed in reporting this to police and helping us focus on bringing this dangerous offender to justice. Had she not done so, Toshpulatov would still be on the streets. "This incident was treated very seriously from the second it was reported to us and the positive response from the public to the witness appeal made a massive difference to helping us identify Toshpulatov and tracking his movements to Essex. "The impact on the victim has been significant and would remind anyone with concerns around safety to please make us aware via the StreetSafe tool, which sees us work with other agencies to identify areas of concern and assist us with planning when and where to carry out high-visibility patrols. "We welcome the significant custodial sentence Toshpulatov has received for the horrific crimes he committed last year. We hope this result gives confidence to all victims of sexual abuse that you will be believed and shows we will work tirelessly to get sexual predators into court so they can be dealt with robustly."