A 33-year-old Iraqi man has been charged with raping a 14-year-old boy in a Portsmouth alleyway and with stalking a woman in her 20s, in two separate cases uncovered during the same police investigation. Sadiq Farhad Azad, of no fixed address, is due to appear at Portsmouth Crown Court, and has been remanded in custody. The case highlights the seriousness with which Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is treating both allegations, which emerged in quick succession over the course of a single inquiry.

The alleged rape occurred between 7pm and 8pm on 6 August in an alleyway off London Road, Portsmouth, involving a man the boy had met on a bus and did not previously know; it was reported to police five days later. During the resulting investigation, a woman in her 20s came forward on 1 September alleging she had been stalked for a year and that a family member's car had been damaged. Enquiries led officers to arrest Azad, who has since been charged with rape of a child aged 13 to 15, stalking, and criminal damage valued at less than £5,000.