Rapist jailed for street attack in Parkgate.

A TIP-OFF from a member of the public has led to a 39-year-old man being jailed for six years for the rape of a woman who was on a night out with friends.

Alan Ahmed, of Spalton Road, Parkgate (pictured), was sentenced yesterday at Sheffield Crown Court after pleading guilty to rape at an earlier hearing in March.

In August last year a 31-year-old woman was out with friends in Broad Street, Parkgate.

She had stepped outside for a cigarette when she was approached by Ahmed.

The court heard Ahmed took her to a nearby car park in Greasbrough Road, where he raped her.

Officers were called shortly after the attack, as the woman asked members of the public for help.

Enquiries were carried out in the Parkgate area, leading to the recovery of CCTV that showed an unknown man with the victim.

Footage and stills of this man were released to the media and public in November in a bid to locate and identify the suspect.

A witness contacted the police saying that a man wearing the same hooded top as in the CCTV stills walked down Broad Street in Parkgate every day.

Ahmed was stopped by officers, arrested and charged with rape after DNA evidence linked him to the crime.

Det Con Rachel Morton, who lead the investigation, said: “I must also take this opportunity to thank the media and members of the public who assisted us with our enquiries by sharing the CCTV appeal.”