A 25-year-old Afghan man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in the UK for sexually assaulting a woman the court described as “vulnerable”.

Southampton Crown Court heard that the passenger, Hotek, had followed the victim after she left a nightclub and raped her with extreme violence. Before the incident, the victim had sent a voice message to a friend expressing her concerns about the attacker’s harassing behaviour and asking him to stop harassing her.

DNA testing carried out after the attack confirmed the attacker had committed the crime. The victim told the court that the incident had left her deeply traumatised and had affected her life, leading to self-harm and even thoughts of suicide.

Judge Gary Lucey sentenced the man to 10 years in prison and four years of post-release supervision. He also ordered the man to be placed on the sex offenders register and banned from contacting the victim.

The Home Office said the man's residency status would be reviewed after he served his sentence. Under the rules, foreign nationals sentenced to more than 12 months in prison could be deported and banned from returning to the UK after serving their sentence.

The prosecution's representative in the case said the attack had been a "horrifying and traumatic" experience for the victim and that the defendant had exploited her vulnerable situation.