A BURGLAR who was potentially locked up for life for sexually assaulting a student after breaking into her home has had his challenge against his sentence thrown out.

Mohammed Ali, 22, of Creukhorne Road, Willesden, was handed an indefinite sentence for public protection (IPP), which is almost identical to life imprisonment, at Blackfriars Crown Court in April.

He was ordered to serve at least four years and three months behind bars, before he could even apply for parole, after admitting aggravated burglary and sexual assault at a previous hearing.

At London’s Criminal Appeal Court his lawyers argued that his sentence was ‘excessive’ and the sentencing judge was wrong to conclude he was dangerous.

They also claimed that he had been punished more harshly than his accomplice 19-year-old Maslah Hassan who was also handed an IPP with a minimum tariff of just over three years.

But Mr Justice Sweeney, sitting with Lord Justice Aikens and Mrs Justice Thirlwall, dismissed the appeal, saying the Crown Court judge was ‘entitled’ to conclude Ali was a ‘dangerous offender’ who deserved the sentence.

The court heard he had a bad record of previous offences and a report prepared by the probation service found there was a ‘significant risk’ of Ali causing serious harm by committing further offences.

During Ali’s trial jurors heard Blackfriars Crown heard the Somalian pair were fuelled by drink and drugs when they entered the woman’s flat in Kilburn and sexually assaulted her.

After carrying out their depraved attack, Ali stole the victim’s laptop and Hassan attacked the woman’s 21-year-old flatmate who had heard the commotion and had come to investigate.

The unnamed man suffered cuts to his arm as he tried to defend himself.