Two men who raped a student in a flat in Belfast have been jailed.
Mohammed Ibrahim Hassan (30) was handed a six-and-half year sentence while co-accused Abdiqani Abdulkadir Muhaiden (26) had a five-year sentence imposed.
They will spend half the term in custody and half on supervised licence.
Both men were also placedd on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Hassan, from Orient Gardens in Belfast, was convicted by a jury earlier this year of rape, oral rape and sexual assault by penetration on October 4, 2019.
The jury at Belfast Crown Court also convicted Muhaiden, from Malone Road in the city, of one count of oral rape on the same date.
Despite the jury’s guilty verdicts both men, who are Somalian nationals, maintain the sexual activity with the victim was consensual.
During the trial, the jury heard that on Thursday October 3, 2019 the victim - who at that time was a university student - met friends before drinks before going to a nightclub where they remained until closing time.
In her evidence, the victim said she left around 3am and recalled meeting a male who called himself JJ - who was the defendant Muhaiden - outside the club and after striking up a conversation, they went to a fast food outlet along with her friend and another male they met in Thompson’s.
At this point the victim’s friend tried to persuade her to leave the scene with her, but the victim said she was going with Muhaiden.
The victim and Muhaiden purchased more alcohol and went to co-accused Hassan’s flat on Ulsterville Avenue.
Whilst in the flat, the victim was taken to a bedroom and with both men present, she was given more alcohol as well as a cannabis joint.
She also recalled the two men talking to each other in a foreign language and a short time later she passed out.
Her next memory was waking up on top of the bed naked with both vaginal and oral intercourse taking place.
The victim said she was in pain, that she told both men to stop but that they continued with the sexual activity.
After she left the flat, she told her friends what had happened and later that day, she attended a sexual assault referral centre in Antrim.
The PSNI were alerted and following his arrest, Hassan confirmed the victim had come to his flat with Muhaiden.
He also claimed that the sexual contact was consensual and that the woman left his flat on good terms.
These claims were maintained at the trial and were rejected by the jury via the guilty verdicts.
Crown barrister Neil Connor KC said the victim “was vulnerable by reason of the circumstances she found herself in because of the consumption of alcohol.”
Judge Kerr said he had considered defence submissions made on behalf of both men.
Regarding Muhaiden, the Judge spoke of his clear record, his “challenging upbringing” in Somalia.
In respect of Hassan, Judge Kerr noted he has been in Northern Ireland since 2016, he has a pending asylum case and has had “problems” regarding alcohol use.