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Former OU Student Sentenced in Rape Case
By: Ethan Sands
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ATHENS (WOUB) — An Oman man was convicted of rape; public indecency; and menacing by stalking on Tuesday in Athens County Common Pleas Court.
Judge George McCarthy sentenced Mohammed Nasser Rashid Hamed Al-Mashrafi to a four-year term in prison with five-years of post-release control, according to a press release by the Athens County Prosecuting Attorney.
Included in the conviction were charges related to incidents that occurred prior to the rape, according to Athens County Prosecuting Attorney, Keller Blackburn.
“He was accused of sexually assaulting a girl in the parking garage in his car, as well as a female at a massage parlor, and stalking another girl,” Blackburn said.
Al-Mashrafi was previously suspended from Western Kentucky University after a sexual assault incident. Ohio University did not inquire about the incident when he applied for admission to Ohio University, Blackburn said.
“He should have never been here,” Blackburn said.
Ohio University spokesperson Carly Leatherwood declined to comment on Al-Mashrafi’s case, but said each case is evaluated individually during the admissions process.
“Ohio University’s process is to review discipline from prior institutions reported by applicants and, while each individual’s situation is evaluated holistically, an individual reporting a recent serious sexual misconduct violation would not be admitted,” Leatherwood said.
Since Al-Mashrafi was living in the United States on a student visa, the United States Department of Homeland Security has a holder placed on Al-Mashrafi.
“He’s going to be deported and not allowed back in the United States,” Blackburn said,“So that could happen: today, tomorrow, three years, 10 months from now, but he won’t be free back in the U.S.”