Serial Sunderland rapist appeals against his 32-year sentence
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Former student Omar Sharif was locked up for 32-and-a-half years after plying his teenage victims with free drugs before sexually assaulting them.
Sharif, now 24, of Brunton Terrace, Millfield, Sunderland, was jailed nearly a year ago after he was convicted of four counts of raping three women as well as one count of sexual assault and a string of drugs charges.
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Hide AdHe is now seeking leave from London’s Court of Appeal to challenge his sentence.
The case will be heard today, although a final decision on whether the jail term should be reduced may not be made until a later date.
Sharif was imprisoned at Newcastle Crown Court in December 2018 after he was found guilty at the end of a second trial.
A first trial had earlier ended before a jury could reach verdicts.
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Hide AdNamed after the film icon, the court heard he drove a Mercedes sports car with a personalised plate and had been commended for charity work.
But beneath the veneer of respectability lay a “manipulative man” who targeted vulnerable women with free drugs such as MDMA.
He would then rape his victims at locations including a Sunderland hotel and a seafront car-park near Seaham.
The lead investigator in the case, Acting Superintendent Claire Wheatley, of Northumbria Police, said afterwards that Sharif “thought he was untouchable”.
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Hide AdSharif also admitted perverting the cause of justice in relation to evidence he gave at the first trial.Acting Supt Wheatley added last December: "These women have been incredibly brave and have been supported throughout the investigation by officers from our dedicated victim team.“I hope today they feel a sense of justice and relief after giving evidence at two trials after the first collapsed because of Sharif's lies.”