Ayman Al-Shammari found guilty of rape after recording played in court
The 28-year-old was convicted at Bristol Crown Court based on a phone recording captured by the victim during the incident in 2025.
By Bianca Herrera ·
Ayman Al-Shammari was found guilty of rape on Friday at Bristol Crown Court. The jury reached a majority verdict against the 28-year-old, who lives in Taunton, after reviewing evidence that included an audio recording of the attack.
The court heard that Al-Shammari met the victim a few weeks before the incident following a night out. The two had slept together once prior to the event in question. On Friday, November 14, 2025, Al-Shammari tried to invite the woman out for the evening. When she declined, he persuaded her to let him enter her home.
After consuming alcohol, Al-Shammari asked to stay the night. The victim agreed, specifying that he should sleep on the sofa and that they were just friends. The jury was told that Al-Shammari later entered her room. They began having consensual sex, but the dynamic shifted during the encounter.
The victim told police she felt increasingly uncomfortable during the act. She stated she asked him to stop, but he continued. She managed to unlock her phone and record the event. The jury heard the audio, which captured the woman saying "no" and "I don’t like it." Descriptions of her voice noted that she sounded in pain, upset, and crying.
Al-Shammari, a Kuwaiti national, denied the charge of rape during his police interview. He told officers that the woman had wanted sex but that certain positions caused her pain, prompting him to stop. The defense argued that the physical discomfort was the reason for the pause in activity, not a withdrawal of consent.
Avon and Somerset Police’s specialist sexual offences unit, Bluestone, investigated the case. The team noted that the recording provided key evidence in a case that typically relies on conflicting accounts. The judge remanded Al-Shammari into custody pending a sentencing hearing scheduled for November 27.
The conviction marks a conclusion to the initial trial phase. The victim’s decision to record the interaction while she was still in the room provided a tangible record of her objections. This evidence distinguished the case from many others where jurors must weigh one statement against another without additional physical proof.
