City CCTV operator praised

Diligent work’ from a CCTV operator has led to a man being jailed for four years and a further four years on extended licence after he grabbed and sexually assaulted a woman as she walked home in Exeter city centre.

Exeter Crown Court heard how Fawzi Omar, 27, a Sudanese national, of no fixed abode, targeted the random woman during the early hours of Wednesday, 8 May. He approached her, grabbed her and proceeded to sexually assault her despite her telling him she did not want it to happen.

The attack was captured on city centre CCTV and operators at the City Council-run facility managed to track Omar across the city centre. However, he soon went out of frame and was no longer identifiable.

Police officers continued to search the area but were unable to track him down. Omar's image was circulated before an Exeter city centre operator identified a male matching his description at 1.25am on Tuesday, June 11.

An officer rushed to South Street and arrested Omar on suspicion of sexual assault. He pleaded guilty to sexual assault and was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on Friday, November 22.

Detective Inspector Paula Trevett said: “We are happy that Fawzi Omar is now behind bars for a horrific attack carried out on a complete stranger. We’d like to commend the bravery of the victim in this case for helping ensure Omar was brought to justice.

“This is another example of outstanding work carried out by Exeter officers – response, neighbourhood, CCTV and CID. Omar was previously unknown to police and remained at large for four weeks after the offence.

"It was thanks to the diligent work of one of the city centre CCTV operatives who recognised him one night when he was walking around Exeter City Centre, that Omar was arrested. He was wearing the same clothing and had a distinctive walk.

“Omar was arrested and denied the offence however forensics were fast-tracked and a Magistrates’ extension was sought whilst we awaited the results. Omar’s DNA came back as an exact match with the swabs taken from the victim.

“This example of fantastic teamwork demonstrates the drive we all have to make the streets of Exeter safer for women and girls.”

Cllr Laura Wright, Exeter City Council’s Deputy Leader and Member Champion for the Safety of Women and Girls at Night, was also full of praise for the CCTV Control Room: “It’s cases like this, that demonstrate the true value of our city centre CCTV Control Room. We have an excellent team that work closely with the police, and through their hard work and determination are able to stop potential offences taking place and bring offenders like Omar to justice.”