CALGARY -- Breaking into his girlfriend's home and brutally sexually assaulting her has earned a Calgary man a seven-year prison sentence.

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Barb Romaine handed down the sentenced to Mohamed Hassan Farah, 28, on Thursday.

Farah showed no emotion as it was read out but his sister burst into tears.

Romaine said the one-time refugee of the Somalian civil war has shown no remorse for the violent act that took place in downtown Calgary on Dec. 19, 2009.

Court heard earlier that he beat his former live-in girlfriend around the head, then sexually assaulted her -- removing a condom part way through the act.

For Farah, Romaine said, "there's no remorse or acceptance of responsibility.

"He's insisted the victim made the accusations up and he objected to involvement in sex offender treatment, saying he 'was not like those other people'."

The fact he was still a friend of his victim at the time of the attack and an occasional sexual partner "doesn't reduce the gravity of the offence."

In impact statements to the court, both the victim and her mother described themselves as suicidal and living lives without trust or happiness.

"The victim also described suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder," Romaine said.

Romaine said a psychiatric risk assessment for Farah described him as having an anti-social personality disorder.

Its conclusion that he presented a low to moderate risk of re-offending, she noted, was accompanied by concerns by its author that Farah's lack of co-operation with the study might have skewed its results.

Defence lawyer Richard Cairns had argued for a prison sentence of five to six years, insisting his client's risk to re-offend was lower and that he had no intention of assaulting the victim when he broke into her home.

He also argued the offence was Farah's first serious one.

Crown prosecutors had sought a 10-year sentence.

Farah will receive about a two-month credit on his sentence for the same amount of time he's served in Calgary Remand Centre.