Nurse raped drunk woman as she was asleep in bed at a house in Leeds

A court heard Ardit Cela showed 'no remorse' after subjecting the teenage victim to the sex attack.

Cela was found guilty of rape after a trial at Leeds Crown Court.

A jury heard how the 28-year-old targeted the vulnerable victim as she was asleep in bed at a property in the city in 2018.

The defendant preyed on the victim despite knowing she was heavily drunk.

Cela went into her room, removed his clothes and got into bed with her.

She awoke to find Cela carrying out the sex attack.

The defendant continued with the assault despite her pleas for him to stop.

She was in a state of shock and distress after the incident but told other people in the house who then ejected him from the property.

Cela caught a train to his home in Staffordshire where he was arrested after the attack was reported to the police.

He denied the offence and claimed during the trial that sex had been consensual.

The jury rejected his account and found him guilty after the hearing in August this year.

Sentencing, Judge Simon Phillips said Cela appeared "complacent and unconcerned" after the victim reported the rape.

The author of a pre-sentence report also described how Cela had shown "no remorse" for what he had done.

Judge Phillips said the woman had suffered severe psychological harm.

He said : "She was a teenager with a bright future.

"She has been left no longer feeling safe after this rape.

"She has suffered anxiety attacks, she has been unable to sleep and her mental health has been damaged.

"Her relationships with others have been significantly adversely affected."

Richard English, mitigating, said Cela was born in Albania but had adopted Greek citizenship.

Mr English said Cela had trained as a nurse before moving to the UK in 2017.

He had hoped to become a nurse in this country but had not been able to because he could not speak English well enough.

The barrister said Cela's partner continued to stand by him despite the conviction and they plan to get married.

Mr English described the offence as out of character for the defendant.

He added: "This was an opportunistic offence that stands in stark contrast to the defendant, as demonstrated by his work and those who know him best."