Yahoo Finance Serial rapist who preyed on men and women outside nightclubs jailed for 20 years
A serial rapist who preyed on victims outside bars and nightclubs has been jailed for 20 years.
John Chalachew, 33, was found guilty of six rapes against three women and a man in 2018.
Some victims fell asleep and woke up to find Chalachew having sex with them.
In sentencing at Taunton Crown Court on Friday, Judge James Townsend said Chalachew "systematically targeted vulnerable victims on a repeated basis".
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The court heard Chalachew, from Plymouth, targeted intoxicated victims as they were either leaving nightclubs or making their way home from them.
All three female victims were attacked at his home, a multi-occupancy house in Mount Gould, while the man was raped in an alleyway in the Greenbank area of Plymouth after he had left Pryzm nightclub.
The double rape happened after Chalachew took two women back to his home after meeting them for the first time outside Crash Manor nightclub on the night of 23 March 2018.
Prosecuting, Ray Tully said Chalachew was "a serial rapist" who would hang around bars and nightclubs in Plymouth.
"They were worse for wear, would fall asleep and then discover he was having sex with them," he said.
Chalachew denied the rape charges and said sex with the victims had been consensual.
The judge paid tribute to the victims for coming forward and also for protecting the public from Chalachew.
He said Chalachew's crimes had a "profound" effect on the victims.
Members of the public intervening saved two other people from attacks, the court heard.
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After the case, Detective Inspector Paul Otter said: "We are pleased with today’s sentence which has taken a dangerous sexual predator off the streets of Plymouth for a significant amount of time.
"Chalachew deliberately targeted them, preying on their vulnerability through their intoxicated state as they were either leaving nightclubs or making their way home.
"I would commend the bravery of the victims in this case who have co-operated fully with the police investigation and subsequent court proceedings to bring Chalachew to justice."
The judge, who praised the police investigation, said Chalachew would serve two-thirds of the 20 years sentence before being considered for parole.
