Two men have been jailed for the rape of a woman in an alleyway near Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester City Centre which took place in May 2021.
Juan Quinones aged 24 of Aspell Close, Middleton in Rochdale was jailed for 12 years and Brian Jalo aged 25 of Sugar Mill Square in Salford was also jailed for 12 years.
The attack occurred after the victim (then aged 18) and her friend met Quinones and Jalo the previous day
The pair had approached the women, spoke to them for a time, and exchanged contact details on Instagram.
The following evening, on the night of the attack, the victim and her friend were staying in a hotel near Piccadilly Gardens. After the two women returned to the hotel, the victim then left the hotel again on her own.
Quinones and Jalo spotted the woman leaving the hotel, attacked her and raped her in an alleyway.
The victim managed to make her way back to the hotel following the attack in a distressed state. Her mobile phone was missing and has never been recovered.
She contacted police and an investigation was immediately launched. Following an appeal to the public for information, CCTV was provided to the police which led to the identification and arrest of Jalo and Quinones on 19 May 2021.
A third man was later acquitted of sexual assault and aiding and abetting the rape.
Detective Constable Stuart Kassim, of GMP Longsight CID, said: “I want to thank the victim for her bravery in reporting her attack and putting her trust in the police to investigate. This was an horrific ordeal which has been prolonged by her attackers refusing to admit their guilt and forcing her to re-live that night by giving evidence at trial.
“It was a vile and predatory attack on a lone woman by a pair who worked together to lure her away from safety in order to rape her. Their actions were cold and calculating and I am pleased the sentence has placed them safely behind bars.
“Ultimately, it is thanks to the bravery of the victim, as well as members of the public who answered our CCTV appeal and the dedication of the investigation team, that both offenders will now spend years of their life behind bars.
“I hope this case gives other victim’s reassurance that GMP will seek to arrest and prosecute offenders. And I hope it encourages more victims to come forwards and report what happened to them to police.”
