Man guilty of raping two women in Belfast apartment

Following a trial spanning over two weeks, a jury of five men and seven women found Orhan Kibar unanimously guilty on three counts of rape, and a charge of false imprisonment.

Originally from Turkey, Kibar has been living in Northern Ireland since 2005, and raped the two friends in his Russell Court flat in the early hours of November 24, 2017.

As the verdicts were passed at Belfast Crown Court, one of the victim’s mothers raised her arms and said “yes”, while Kibar’s father wept on the other side of the public gallery.

Despite Kibar’s denials that the women – who were 18 and 19 at the time – wanted to come to his flat for a ‘sex party’ and that all sexual activity with them was not only consensual but instigated by them, he was found guilty on all four charges.

During the trial, the jury was shown CCTV evidence which showed Kibar meeting the women outside the Student Union at Queen’s at around 1.30am, and entering his apartment block on Claremont Street with them a short time later.

Once inside his flat, the 19-year old soon fell asleep, while the 18-year was offered a cigarette.

The 18-year old then left the living room to go to the bathroom, and when she was on the toilet, she said Kibar came into the bathroom and grabbed her. She said he was aggressive, there was a struggle and that during the incident, he sexually assaulted her.

She later told police she bit him and was finally able to flee the bathroom and make her escape from the flat.

As she was fleeing, she didn’t see her friend sleeping, and she left her coat and phone in the apartment. She ran onto the street and by chance bumped into someone she knew. In a distressed state, she described what had just happened and the police were called immediately.

Meanwhile, inside the flat Kibar then turned his attention to her sleeping friend, who was woken with him on top of her, raping her. She told Kibar she needed to do to the toilet, and after a few minutes he let her go to the bathroom.

As she stepped out, a now naked Kibar pushed her back into the bathroom and during a struggle he broke one of her fingers. He then held her down and raped her a second time, before she too managed to escape. As she was fleeing the apartment, she encountered police officers alerted by her friend in the corridor of the block of flats.

She was able to point them to Kibar’s flat, and he was arrested. During his evidence at the trial, Kibar claimed that he had sex with both women separately - but only because they wanted him to.

He denied hurting them, said the sexual activity they instigated was consensual, and when asked about the bite to his hand, he said this was down to “rough sex” with the 18-year old.

His version was rejected by the jury, and after the verdict was passed, Crown prosecutor Charles MacCreanor asked that bail be revoked. Telling Judge Paul Ramsey the offences Kibar has been convicted of were “serious”, Mr MacCreanor said: “We would object to any further bail at this stage.”

Defence barrister Sean O’Hare pointed out that since being granted bail last January, Kibar has surrendered his passport, is tagged, and has not breached any of his conditions.

However, Judge Ramsey said: “I agree with Mr MacCreanor, this is a serious case. There will be an inevitable, lengthy sentence. I will revoke bail and remand Mr Kibar in custody.”

The case will be reviewed again next month, and Kibar is due to be sentenced in May.