A terrifying moment was captured on CCTV as a sex attacker followed a woman walking home from a night out in Brierley Hill before assaulting her. Arez Omer, 40, of Ivanhoe Street in Dudley, was jailed for two years and nine months after admitting sexual assault and exposure.
The incident occurred on Hill Street in Brierley Hill on August 8 last year. The woman, who had been out with friends, was walking home when Omer began following her. He then sexually assaulted her before calmly walking away.
The victim immediately called police, who dispatched officers to the area. Based on her description, they located Omer around two miles away on King Street in Dudley and arrested him.
Omer appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on February 4, where he pleaded guilty to sexual assault and exposure. He was sentenced on Friday, April 24.
Detective Sergeant Sian Edwards praised the victim's bravery and the teamwork involved in the swift arrest. "This was a terrifying attack on a woman simply going home after a night out with friends. Omer preyed on a woman who repeatedly told him to stop and was able to fend him off and call the police. There was excellent teamwork between call handlers, CCTV operators at Dudley Council, and response officers to bring Omer into custody quickly, enabling us to build a strong case and secure his conviction," she said.
Councillor Phil Atkins, cabinet member for development and regulation, added: "I welcome the court judgment following this shocking and upsetting case. Our thoughts are with the victim. I thank the team who utilized our CCTV to locate footage of the perpetrator within 90 minutes and support police in finding his location."
A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: "This is the moment we arrested a sex attacker less than 90 minutes after he targeted a woman. CCTV shows how he followed her before sexually assaulting her and calmly walking away. The woman called police and gave a description, which was passed to CCTV operators who guided officers to his location."
