A sex offender who raped a teenage boy in a Nottingham park has been jailed.

The victim, then aged 17, had gone for a walk through the Forest Recreation Ground on July 18, 2024, around 11:30 pm. He encountered a man, now known to be Mohammed Darweesh, who he believed was drunk and began to pester him. The victim tried to move away from 24-year-old Darweesh, but he kept blocking his path. Fearing Darweesh had a knife, the victim agreed to follow him away from the path where the sexual assault took place.

Darweesh fled the scene on foot with the teenager's watch and a £10 note. A passer-by pursued Darweesh in his van, and the attacker dropped the watch on the floor. Darweesh was later struck by a car in Mapperley Road around 4 am the following day after members of the public saw him lying in the road. He was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Darweesh was identified as a suspect by detectives following forensic and other inquiries and was arrested when he was released from Queen's Medical Centre. Darweesh, of no fixed abode, was handed an extended jail sentence of nine-and-a-half years when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on April 1. Upon release, he will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to protect vulnerable people. He had pleaded guilty to rape and attempted rape.