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A failed aslyum seeker brutally raped a man out celebrating his birthday in a shocking attack on a bed of nettles.

The victim had been out drinking with friends to mark his 23rd birthday when he was attacked by stranger Ayoub Khalifa.

A court heard the victim vaguely remembered leaving a nightclub in the early hours of the morning.

The next thing he knew he woke up face down in nettles and mud, his trousers round his ankles and his shirt pulled up, having been raped by Khalifa, who also stole his phone, wallet and watch.

Now the 30-year-old pervert has been jailed for six years at Newcastle Crown Court and is likely to be deported to Algeria after serving his sentence.

The court heard the victim had been out in Sunderland last September and had a large amount to drink.

Sentencing Khalifa, Judge Paul Sloan QC said: “He vaguely remembers leaving a nightclub in the company of another man and walking down the bank with that man.

“His next recollection is waking up to find he was lying face down in mud and nettles.

“His trousers and pants were pulled down to his ankles and his shirt was pulled up to his chest.

“He feared he may have been sexually assaulted and he began to panic and became distressed.”

The man found he no longer had his phone so was unable to immediately summon help.

He realised he was underneath Wearmouth Bridge and went to Sunderland University halls of residence to raise the alarm, around 6am.

Judge Sloan told Khalifa: “The complainant had nettle stings to his hands and stomach.

“Intimate samples were taken...and the DNA matched your profile.”

In a statement to police, the victim told how the rape left him anxious and afraid to go out.

He said: “Since I was attacked I’ve suffered with severe anxiety and I would not leave the house.

“If I’m alone in my house I’m convinced someone is in the house and this makes me really scared.

“I was off sick from my job for a month.

“My friends and family have helped me get back my normal routine and I’ve started counselling and this is starting to help me get my life together.

“I feel it will take a long time for me to come to terms with what has happened to me and to be able to move forward but I’ve started taking small steps in order to move on with my life.”

Khalifa, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to rape. As well as the six year prison sentence, he must sign the sex offenders’ register.

Alec Burns, defending, said: “The defendant accepts he took advantage of an extremely drunk man.

“He doesn’t recall much of it, he doesn’t recall the bed of nettles.

“He can’t understand how he came to behave in such a way. He was very drunk.

“He recalls them leaving the nightclub and not a lot after that, but he accepts what he has done.

“There will be consequences for him when he is returned to Algeria. His own family will have a very strong view of what he has done and the circumstances of it.

“He is ashamed of what he has done, he can’t believe how he could behave like this towards anybody.”

After the case, Det Cons Liz Finn, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was a horrific attack for the victim to suffer and I’d like to thank him for his courage in coming forward and reporting this incident to us and supporting our investigation.

“I’m pleased that this sentence has been imposed and that Khalifa has been jailed for his actions.”