The mother of the teenager attacked by Tewolde Selassie spoke of her relief at the guilty verdict yesterday, and urged other victims of sex assaults to speak out.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told The Royal Gazette: “I would encourage women who are preyed upon to come forward. If we do this we will keep more sexual predators off the streets.

“It is no sense having a country where women can’t sleep in their beds. There is no sense in having a better education system if parents are troubled and children can’t sleep in their own beds at night.

“This was a horrible crime, and if the statistics show that only one in three report sexual assaults then there are other women out there in my position. If you get to see his face or hear his name, I encourage you to come forward.”

The teenager’s mother did not wish to speak about her daughter, but said: “I would like to thank the Police and the court and jury system today.”