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Teenage boy was 'raped in a toilet inside a city-centre Debenhams

A 14-year-old boy who claims he was raped in the toilet of a busy city-centre Debenhams store has told how his alleged attackers threatened to catch him if he tried to run away.

The teenager gave evidence via video-link at Manchester Crown Court after he was allegedly raped and forced to perform oral sex by Abdelkader Eljanabi, 55, and Alex Wilson-Fletcher, 42, at the store at the city's Arndale Centre in June last year.

The jury heard the boy claim that the two men intimidated him in the video interview recorded two days after the incident.





Accused: Alex Fletcher-Wilson, left, and Abdelkader Eljanabi, right, both deny two counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault after an alleged attack on a 14-year-old boy in the toilets of a Debenhams store




Busy store: The attack allegedly took place on a busy Saturday afternoon at the Debenhams store at Manchester's Arndale Centre

The bisexual youth said that he had gone into the shopping centre's toilets on the way home from a youth club for gay, lesbian and transgender youngsters.

The boy said in the interview: 'When I went in, some Asian person stood next to me and started staring at me, looking at me up and down.'

The boy described how he felt ‘anxious’ and nervous’ and he moved along one urinal for more privacy.

But he claimed that another man, said to be Alex Wilson-Fletcher, had already entered the toilets and started eyeing him up on his other side.

He said: 'The Asian person grabbed my arm and said, "come with us, you’re going to do anything we say and if you try to run away we will catch you.”'

The boy said a cleaner and some other shoppers were present in the toilets, while he was threatened.



On trial: Abdelkader El-Janabi attempts to hide his face as he leaves court today

He added: 'I started panicking. He mumbled it to me – he said it to me so no-one else could hear.'

The boy said he tried to run away but the man said to be Mr Eljanabi caught up with him, motioning the boy in the direction of the Debenhams Store with his paper – with the other man following closely behind.

He said: 'He tapped me with the paper. The white person was behind – if I had ran the opposite way, the white man would have been there.'

'The Asian person grabbed my arm and said, "come with us, you’re going to do anything we say and if you try to run away we will catch you.”'

Evidence of teenager

The court heard that once inside the store, the alleged victim was directed into the lift, and taken to the store's toilets.

The court heard that the boy was allegedly sexually assaulted by the pair before being raped by Mr Eljanabi – as Mr Wilson-Fletcher watched on.

Neil Fryman, prosecuting, said: 'The two defendants are in it together. It was a common enterprise for these four counts to be committed.

'Mr Wilson-Fletcher was in full presence, knowing what was going on, intending it to go on and encouraging it to go on.'

The teenager said that following the attack he ran from the building and went home. He confided in a friend and the incident was reported to the police when his mother found out.

The complainant was examined and a nation-wide appeal was launched, with CCTV images of the men released by police.



Hiding: Alex Wilson-Fletcher covers his face with a hoodie as he arrives at Manchester Crown Court where he faces trial for two counts of sexual assault and two counts of rape

Mr Eljanabi became a suspect after his flat caretaker alerted police after seeing photograph of him in the press.

Police visited his home in Longsight , Manchester, on August 23 last year, but there was no answer.

My Fryman said: 'Activity could be seen behind the door but the door wasn’t opened.'

But police returned the following morning at 7.55am and arrested Mr Eljanabi at his flat.

The prosecution lawyer then told the jury that during interview with police, Mr Eljanabi pleaded his innocence.

But he added that the outcome of CCTV footage examinations by facial-mapping experts had led to ‘strong support’ that the man pictured was Mr Eljanabi.

Mr Wilson-Fletcher, on the other hand, handed himself in after seeing his photo on a BBC website.

Mr Fryman added: 'The prosecution say that he thought this was the best option – his face was all over and he had to go to the police.'

The prosecution said the boy had referred to Wilson-Fletcher’s distinctive lazy eye during interviews and even picked him out of an identification parade.

The lawyer added: 'He accepted he had used the toilets and that it was him on the press footage – but while he used the toilets he didn’t see or hear any sexual attack.'

Mr Abdelkader and Mr Wilson Fletcher both deny two counts of sexual assault and two counts of rape.

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