"This horrific behaviour betrays those expectations"
A former Worcester councillor has been jailed for nine years after being found guilty of raping and assaulting a woman.
Shawaz Ditta was convicted of one count of rape and two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm following a trial at Worcester Crown Court.
The offences took place in 2022, during Ditta’s time as a Conservative councillor for Worcester City Council, having been elected in May of that year.
The victim reported his offending to West Mercia Police in early 2023, prompting an investigation by the force’s Protecting People Unit.
She told officers that Ditta had assaulted her on several occasions, including throwing metal tongs at her head and heating a knife on the hob before pressing it against her leg. She also reported that he had raped her.
On November 5, the 31-year-old was sentenced to nine years for rape, alongside concurrent sentences of two years and six months for the assaults.
He was also handed a 10-year restraining order preventing him from contacting or approaching the victim, placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £288.
Charges of controlling and coercive behaviour and a further offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm were ordered to lie on file.
Worcester City Council leader Lynn Denham said she felt “desperately sorry for the victim” and what Ditta had put her through.
“I hope she’s doing ok and is getting the support she needs.”
Marc Bayliss, chairman of Worcestershire Conservative Party and deputy police and crime commissioner, described the offences as “heinous and absolutely unacceptable”.
He said: “My thoughts are with the victim and I’m delighted that justice has been done.”
Liberal Democrat councillor Sarah Murray said:
“Voters expect their elected representatives to act with integrity, decency and respect for others.
“This horrific behaviour betrays those expectations, casts a shadow over local public life and damages public trust.
“No position, reputation or political connection should ever shield an abuser from accountability.”
Detective Constable Lydia Burrows, of West Mercia Police’s Protecting People Unit South, described Ditta as a “violent sexual predator who belongs behind bars”.
She added: “His conviction will hopefully give his survivor some closure and the opportunity to move forward with her life now.
“Ditta was formerly a city councillor, so this result shows that nobody is above the law, regardless of status in society.”
“We would like to commend the survivor for having the courage to come forward and report this to police and hope it will encourage others to do the same.
“We will always take you seriously and treat you with empathy and respect as we seek to get justice against the perpetrators of such awful offences.”
