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A man who was jailed for a series of sex attacks on women in Tower Hamlets has had his sentence increased.

Ali Husseini, 27 (25.05.94), of Poplar High Street, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, 6 August, to six years and nine months' imprisonment, having been convicted of two counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted sexual assault.

The police and Crown Prosecution Service thought the sentence was unduly lenient and referred the case to the Attorney General.

On Wednesday, 13 October, judges at the Royal Courts of Justice reviewed the facts of the case. The bench accepted that these were not offences that involved sophisticated planning, however the offender's choice of remote location in which he could lie in wait, was a considerable aggravating factor. In light of this his original sentence was quashed and he was handed a new sentence of nine years' imprisonment.

Husseini will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years upon his release and he will be placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Detective Constable Charlotte Baghurst, from the Specialist Crime Command, said: "Husseini is a violent and dangerous man and it is right that he will serve a longer term in prison for his awful crimes. I hope that this will enable these brave victims to feel safer in their communities and get their lives back on track.

"He carried out a number of predatory and prolonged attacks on lone women as they went about their day-to-day business and instilled fear in women and girls for a number of weeks.

"Everybody in the Met is absolutely committed to bringing justice to victims of sexual assault, and to make London a safer city for women and girls. Our teams will stop at nothing to investigate allegations and to provide support to victims."

During his trial, the court heard how Husseini would follow lone women into the subway underneath the A12 in the Poplar area. Upon picking his victim, he would chase them and sexually assault them.

On 10 August 2020, Husseini followed a 32-year-old woman as she returned home from nearby shops. As she walked through the subway he ran and grabbed the victim by her throat, forcing her forwards before sexually assaulting her. The victim was able to bite Husseini's arm causing him to let go and run away.

On 3 September 2020, Husseini targeted a heavily pregnant female as she walked through the empty subway back to work. The victim heard heavy footsteps behind her and Husseini slapped her from behind, causing the victim to scream and run away.

On 4 September 2020, Husseini followed a 20-year-old female as she walked home from work. Husseini held her by the throat up against the wall of the subway and began touching her. He then tried to undo the victim's trousers zip and started to undo his own. The victim began screaming which caused Husseini to run away.

Following an investigation, Husseini was arrested on 24 September 2020. He was charged on 25 September 2020 and remanded in custody.

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Met Police officer Wayne Couzens has been sentenced to a whole-life term for the murder of Sarah Everard, in a case that sparked national outrage and calls for more action to tackle violence against women.

Couzens admitted the kidnap, rape and murder of the 33-year-old marketing executive when he appeared in court several months ago.

But it was only during his sentencing that the full details of his crimes emerged.

Ms Everard was walking home from a friend's house in Clapham, south London, at about 21:30 BST on 3 March when she was abducted.

Couzens' choice of victim was random, but the attack was planned.

In his sentencing remarks, Lord Justice Fulford said there had been "significant planning and premeditation" by Couzens.

The police officer had "long planned to carry out a violent sexual assault on a yet-to-be-selected victim" who he intended to coerce into his custody, noted the judge.

Couzens spent at least a month travelling to London from Deal, Kent, where he lived, to research how best to carry out his crimes.

Several days before the attack, he booked a hire car, which he would use for the abduction, as well as a roll of self-adhesive film advertised as a carpet protector on Amazon.

After finishing a 12-hour shift at the US embassy that morning, Couzens, a parliamentary and diplomatic protection officer, went out "hunting" for a lone, young woman to kidnap and rape, the prosecution said.

The court heard how Couzens used the knowledge he had gained from working on Covid patrols in January and his Metropolitan Police-issue warrant card to trick his victim under the guise of a fake arrest for breaching coronavirus guidelines.

The 48-year-old, who had been a police officer since 2002, handcuffed her before bundling her into the car and driving away.

The abduction was witnessed by a couple travelling past in a car - but they believed they had seen an undercover police officer carrying out a legitimate arrest, so did not intervene.

The whole kidnapping took less than five minutes.

Couzens then drove to Dover in Kent, where he transferred Ms Everard to his own car, before travelling to a remote rural area nearby.

It was there that he raped and murdered his victim - strangling her with his police belt.

By 02:31 Couzens had left the scene and was spotted at a service station buying drinks.

He visited the site where Ms Everard's body was dumped twice, leaving just before dawn.

The next day, as the search for her escalated, Couzens bought petrol, which he used to burn her body inside a fridge.

He also purchased two green rubble bags, which he used to dump the remains in a pond near an area of woodland he owned in Hoads Wood, Ashford.

A week after she disappeared, Ms Everard's body was found in a woodland stream, just metres from land owned by Couzens.

Meanwhile, Couzens returned to normal life, carrying out mundane activities like calling a vet about his dog.

Days later, he even took his wife and two children on a family trip to the woods where he had burnt his victim's body.

However, on the 8 March, the day he was due to return to work, he reported in sick.

The following day he was arrested at his home in Deal.

In a brief police interview, he told a false story about being threatened by an Eastern European gang, claiming they had demanded he deliver "another girl" after he had underpaid a prostitute a few weeks before. He then claimed he kidnapped Ms Everard, drove out of London and handed her over to three men in a van in a layby in Kent, while she was alive and uninjured.

But after Ms Everard's body was discovered in a pond just 130 metres from land owned by Couzens, he was charged.

Couzens has since been sacked by the Met, but the force is still facing questions over whether chances were missed to prevent his predatory behaviour.

After Ms Everard's murder, the police watchdog announced it was probing alleged failures by the Met to investigate two indecent exposure incidents linked to Couzens in February.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct is also investigating alleged failures by Kent Police to investigate a flashing incident linked to Couzens in 2015.

Couzens transferred to the Met in 2018, from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, where he had worked since 2011.

Two years later he began working for the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command as an authorised firearms officer at diplomatic premises around central London.

In July, appearing by video link from Belmarsh high security jail, Couzens pleaded guilty to murder at the Old Bailey.

On Wednesday he appeared in court again - this time in person - for a two-day sentencing hearing.

There, he faced Ms Everard's mother, father and sister, who described to the court the torment of losing their loved one in such horrendous circumstances.

Her father, Jeremy, demanded that Couzens looked at him as he told the murderer he could never forgive him for taking away his daughter.

Her mother, Susan, said she was "tormented" at the thought of what her "precious little girl" had endured.

"I go through the sequence of events. I wonder when she realised she was in mortal danger," she told the court.

"Burning her body was the final insult. It meant we could never again see her sweet face and never say goodbye.

"Our lives will never be the same. We should be a family of five, but now we are four. Her death leaves a yawning chasm in our lives that cannot be filled."

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A man who subjected his partner to systematic, sexual, physical, mental, and emotional abuse has been jailed.

Paul Thomas, 49, of Sidcup, Kent was sentenced to 19 years at Croydon Crown Court today (September 22), he was also made subject to Notification Requirements for life and issued with a restraining order.

He was previously found guilty of eight counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, threats to kill, actual bodily harm, and coercive controlling behaviour by the same court in June.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Nichola Buckley said:

“Thomas allowed the victim to believe she was living in a happy relationship until he increasingly coerced her into an ever more submissive role.

“He went on to abuse her mentally, physically and controlled her through fear.

“She submitted to him in bed – this is not consent – she was not free to say no.

“I want to praise the victim for the courage and strength she showed to fully assist the police in obtaining this conviction and ensuring this dangerous man has now been put behind bars.”

Thomas met his widower victim in 2017, preying on her good nature and using his status as a bereaved single dad to emotionally blackmail her.

He then became violent, throwing her down the stairs, pulling her hair, punching her in the stomach, and raping her.

The victim feared him so much she recorded his behaviour which included goading her into arguments, accusing her of cheating, and blaming her for his violent outbursts.

She also photographed her injuries and filmed him as he tried to stop her leaving, all the while he was tracking her phone and threatening her and her family.

The final horrific incident came between the November 7 and 9, 2019 when Thomas went to her home in Penge uninvited to violently and sexually assault her for two days, giving her death threats and strangling her until she passed out - eventually she managed to call police.

Thomas was arrested as he left the address and later charged with multiple offences.

DC Buckley added:

“Thomas is a highly dangerous individual who had been quite rightly jailed for a significant period of time.

“He subjected the victim to significant violence and has shown no remorse for his actions."

She said it was a priority for the Met to stop domestic abuse and sexual assault by putting offenders behind bars, and she encouraged victims to get in contact so specially trained officers can offer advice and support them in getting justice.

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A south London NHS midwife who downloaded and shared hundreds of pornographic images of children has been spared jail.

Scott Butler, 39, from Lambeth, who worked at Tooting's St George's Hospital, was found to have more than 400 indecent images of male and female children between the ages of four and 13.

Yesterday, at Inner London Crown Court, Butler was sentenced to 12 months in custody suspended for 18 months, having previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photographs of a child and two counts of possessing extreme pornographic images.

The CPS applied for a sexual harm prevention order and the details of this will be set out at a further hearing.

Butler was arrested on December 3, 2020, at St George’s Hospital.

His phone and laptop were seized from his home address and found to contain around 360 indecent moving images of children and 77 still images.

Kate Shilton, from the CPS, said:

“Scott Butler was a registered NHS midwife who came into contact with young children every day in a London hospital.

"But unknown to anyone, he had a large collection of pornographic images of children as young as four years old.

“Butler was caught out after uploading images to a social networking website, which police were able to trace back to him.

"He was arrested while working. The prosecution case included evidence from a forensic analysis of Butler’s devices, which showed the extent of his interest in preadolescent children.

“Crimes against children are abhorrent and the CPS will always seek to bring to justice those who fuel the sexual exploitation of children.”

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A 26-year-old man from Mitcham has been jailed for 20 years for kidnapping and raping a school girl in Colliers Wood last year.

Kadian Nelson had earlier pleaded guilty to the charges, which also included making a threat to kill, at Kingston Crown Court.

Part of Nelson’s sentence related to a separate domestic-related assault which took place on 11 October and for which he was previously convicted.

The kidnapping at rape took place at around 7am on Tuesday, 3 November 2020. The police were called after a member of the public saw Nelson grab the 13-year-old girl in North Place.

He had crept up on her from behind as she walked to school before forcing her into an alleyway in a housing estate, where he then attacked her.

The ordeal was interrupted by a member of the public, who went to check what had happened. Nelson claimed the victim was his sister and tried to walk away with her, but the woman continued to follow and filmed Nelson and the victim on her mobile phone.

Nelson then fled the scene, leaving the victim cloaked in his jacket, which he had draped over her.

When the police arrived Nelson was no longer in the area but a video showing him approaching and grabbing the girl was circulated on social media prompting vigilante groups, who recognised Nelson to search for him at his home address and those of his relatives.

The police issued an appeal for Nelson to hand himself in and a Section 60 Order was authorised as officers appealed for calm and for the public to refrain from trying to take the law into their own hands.

Nelson was arrested at around 8pm the same day after a member of the public saw him in Robinson Road SW17 - just over a mile from where the initial attack took place.

After the incident, Nelson travelled to a hotel in Baker Street, where he had booked a room. He then visited various shops around London before going back to the hotel to drop items off and then returning to the area.

Overwhelming evidence compiled by the South West investigatory team, including forensics, witnesses and CCTV, left Nelson with no choice but to plead guilty.

The family of the victim said, "We would like to thank the members of the public whose actions of outstanding courage and bravery saved our daughter."

Detective Inspector Simon Sherlock said:

"What Nelson did that day was utterly sickening. The young victim was going about her day as usual on her way to school when Nelson approached and subjected her to a terrifying ordeal. His actions were calculated, evil and depraved.

"Thankfully the incident was spotted by a member of the public who called 999, and Nelson was then confronted by another woman who was steadfast and resolute as she followed him. She knew something was wrong and trusted her instinct, going out of her way in going to the victim's aid. I would like to acknowledge the incredible support she gave to the victim, and to our investigation.

"Most importantly, I would like to give my profoundest thanks and praise to the victim who has been incredibly courageous and brave throughout the course of our investigation. We will ensure she and her family continue to receive the support they need following this harrowing incident.”

Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave, from the Met Police, added:

“I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the member of the public who intervened and provided support to the victim and our officers during their investigation into this appalling attack.

“Rape and other serious sexual offences are devastating crimes that can have a lasting impact on victims, their families and communities. I would urge anyone who has been a victim to please report it. We will do all we can to investigate so that perpetrators are brought to justice and the victims receive the appropriate support.

“We have specially trained officers who work closely with highly skilled, specialist and emphatic partners to ensure that anyone who has experienced rape, or sexual assault, can have the access they need.”

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A London man has been sentenced to a total of eleven years and three months imprisonment for sexual exploitation offences against a 13-year-old Brighton girl, and of separately attempting to meet a girl for sexual purposes.

Kerien Rudland, 24, unemployed, of Alwold Crescent, Eltham, London, SE12, was sentenced at Chichester Crown Court on Friday 25 June.

He had pleaded guilty at Brighton Crown Court on 27 November 2019 to to inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, meeting a child following sexual grooming and two counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a child.

He pleaded not guilty to two offences, of abduction and sexual assault, and these were directed to lay on the court file without being proceeded with.

He was also convicted on 5 December after a separate trial at the same court of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage in sexual communications with a girl under 16, and attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act.

These offences related to his engagement online from his family address in Hull, with someone online who was pretending to be a 13-year-old girl. He was arrested on suspicion of that offence by Humberside Police in August 2018.

The language used by Rudland when communicating with the Brighton girl on Facebook were very similar to those sent to the 'decoy' account.

Rudland will be a registered sex offender for ?life and ???was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) severely restricting his access to children and computers until further court notice.

The sexual exploitation prosecution, authorised by the CPS, followed an investigation by officers from the Brighton Safeguarding Investigations Unit into a report received on Sunday evening (10 February).

Detective Sergeant Matt Stevens said; "Rudland met the girl on the Internet, groomed her online, met her in Brighton on Sunday 10 February 2019 and had sexual activity with her on the beach in Brighton and on a train with her on the way back to London. She was reported missing by her family, and when we checked her PlayStation we found recent contact between them via Facebook.

"As a result of our intensive enquiries, working with our colleagues in the Metropolitan Police, they were located in London at his mother's address where he was living, by 11am the following morning and he was arrested.

"The girl was safe and has been receiving support from our specialist officers and independent agencies since.

"We also received valuable assistance from both Humberside Police and British Transport Police.

"Kerien Rudland is without doubt a serious danger to children. He began his offending online, quickly progressing to contact sexual offending with a child. Sussex Police Safeguarding Investigation Units work tirelessly to safeguard children, prosecute offenders and enable them to be removed from society.

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A sports teacher who had a long-term sexual relationship with an underage student at a 6,000-a-year public school wept in court as he was jailed for 16 months.

Sean Bettinson, 49, befriended the victims parents and manipulated the girl from the age of 12.

What began with kissing moved through various sexual activities, Isleworth Crown Court heard.

Sitting behind a screen, the victim described the fear and shame she felt at the time which grew into anger and hate in her adult years.

Bettinson, of New Malden, south west London, sobbed with his head hung as his barrister asked him to be given a suspended sentence.

The former teacher admitted three counts of indecent assault and two counts of abuse of a position of trust.

To save his victim the distress of a trial, two further counts of indecent assault and two counts of abuse of trust will not be proceeded with.

The student, who is now an adult, reported him to the police in October 2016 after confronting him about the relationship and secretly recording the conversation.

I was an outgoing, friendly, happy child with a big smile, she said. I was happy and carefree, I was 12 when he first appeared.

I was just a child when my life involved relentless bombardment. When he was not with me he would text me, he befriended my parents.

I feel so ashamed of what happened to me and that people would find out. It was all consuming, I had trouble facing him.

At the time I didnt realise the seriousness of what was happening and how wrong it was.

As the years went on I was finding it harder and harder, there was so much hurt, hate and anger deep inside.

The victim has experienced several break downs and felt the past eating away at her, the court heard.

The long-lasting specific impact that child trauma was having on me, it takes over everything. Its quite possible that I might not be here at all.

I wonder if I will ever become free from feeling such negative emotions, I wonder if I will ever be able to put this behind me.

I try to understand how he felt at liberty to do this to me.

He knew exactly what he was doing and exactly what impact it would have on me for the rest of my life.

He continued to manipulate me and my family for many years, in order to control me.

He was my teacher, he was supposed to keep me from harm, instead he abused his power.

I will never forget and never forgive him for what he did.

Judge Simon Davis told Bettinson: You took advantage of her, and you abused her physically and sexually, by physically I mean sexually.

You did that over a period of some years as she moved through her GCSE and into her later exams and you formed a relationship with her.

It was a consensual relationship in the general sense of the word.

But its clear to me within that context, from a good deal of what she has told me in her own words and I have read from her statement, that she only came really to understand the greater and wider import and consequences of what she was involved in by you involving her in it as time passed.

Because she has had her mind opened through therapy, as a trigger really better to understand what you did to her.

She doesnt understand why you did it, it gnaws away at her, you, from your reaction in the dock, it seems to me, accept and acknowledge that.

When those feelings developed for a physically attractive 12, 13, 14-year-old, you should have put them aside, as you no doubt did if you felt them for other female pupils.

But you felt them for her. You chose her, you didnt choose in the way that some do, but theres an aspect of that Mr Bettinson, I suspect that you have come to look at that.

I accept that high likelihood is that this will not happen again, I suspect that this will be a wake-up call.

Michael Shaw, prosecuting, said: He accompanied her prior to the relationship on a number of school trips abroad. It was apparent to others that he was giving her additional attention.

The relationship began at GCSE then on to A-level. While she was studying for her A-levels they developed a long term sexual relationship.

This relationship was consensual, no force was used, but of course under 16s cannot consent to a sexual act.

The pair remained in contact and the complainant confronted Bettinson after struggling with the after effects of the relationship.

Bettinson first appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court in November 2020 and entered guilty pleas at crown court on 30 March after a trial date had been fixed for 2022.

According to his online profiles Bettinson was a maths and sports teacher, then head of department at a secondary school before becoming manager of the England 7s Rugby team.

Bettinson, of New Malden, admitted three counts of indecent assault and two counts of abuse of position of trust.

Two counts of indecent assault and one count of abuse of trust were left to lie on file.

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Former Bristol City goalkeeper Alhaji Sesay has been jailed after being convicted of rape.

Sesay was a very talented footballer who had achieved his dream to make it as a professional, Bristol Crown Court heard.

But a jury heard how he subjected a woman to a serious sexual assault in the female toilet of a nightclub in Bristol.

And, after being arrested and released under police investigation, he targeted a second woman in the female toilet of a nightclub in London.

The 22-year-old, of Barnfield Gardens in London, denied wrongdoing.

But after a three-week trial at Bristol Crown Court a jury convicted him of attempted rape of the woman in Bristol, and the attempted rape and rape of the woman in London.

Judge Michael Cullum jailed him for ten years.

He told Sesay: "In some ways you are a brazen sexual predator.

"To that extent you are dangerous.

"There's a risk, if you are released today, of you acting in a similar way.

"But you are not going to be released today.

"You are not going to be released for many years."

The judge ordered Sesay to notify his whereabouts to police for life.

He was barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.

James Tucker, prosecuting, said Sesay groped a woman's private parts in the female toilets of a Bristol nightclub in 2019.

Having been arrested, interviewed and released, he went on to attempt to rape, and orally rape, a woman in a London nightclub last year.

The first complainant said it felt like she left her own body when Sesay abused her, and she had suffered significant trauma as a result.

In an impact statement she said: "I am left in a constant state of hyper-vigilance.

"I see the worst of people when I used to see the best."

The second complainant stated she suffered an anxiety disorder before Sesay abused her which was made worse by his abuse of her.

She stated: " I look at men differently now.

"I wonder if they are dodgy and what they are capable of?

"Anything can happen, anywhere."

Sophie Shotton, defending, said: "This is a young man whose career is now in tatters.

"Football has been all he's known from a very young age.

"It was the only career choice because of his limited education.

"He came to the UK with the intention of furthering his education and furthering his career in football and the intention of making his mother proud and supporting her financially."

DC Toby Hayes of Bristol CID, said: "Alhaji Sesay is a predatory sexual offender who would brazenly target women at random at nightclubs.

"CCTV footage gathered during the police investigations showed him going into female toilets, where he carried out his attacks.

"The victims have all been through a harrowing experience. I want to pay tribute to their incredible bravery and courage for reporting the offences committed against them, for giving crucial evidence in court and for supporting our investigation, which has resulted in this dangerous sexual offender being brought to justice.

"I would also like to thank the many members of the public who assisted with our enquiries and helped to ensure justice was served.

"Due to the nature of Sesay's offending, it's possible there are other victims out there who haven't yet reported incidents to us.

"I would encourage them to place their faith and confidence in the police and come forward. You will be listened to, believed and respected. If you don't want to speak to the police, please speak to someone."

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A "dangerous sexual predator" has been jailed after undercover police officers lured him into thinking he was meeting a teenage girl for sex at Guildford Cathedral.

Mark Crampton, 57, of Richmond-upon-Thames, has been sentenced to 44 months in prison after pleading guilty to arranging to meet who he thought was a child for sex.

He had pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence; attempting to meet a girl under 16 years of age following grooming; and two counts of an adult attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child at an earlier hearing.

Crampton was arrested after communicating with two undercover police officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit between April 18 and May 21, 2020.

On April 18, Crampton sent a private message to one of the officers, who he believed was a 13-year-old girl. Communication continued, with him sending sexually explicit messages using Kik Messenger.

This led to his arrest on May 21 in the grounds of Guildford Cathedral, where he had travelled with the intention of carrying out sexual acts with who he thought was the child.

It later transpired that Crampton had travelled to Guildford Cathedral the previous day to establish where he could engage in the sexual activity, Surrey Police said.

Crampton was subsequently arrested by two officers from Surrey Police on suspicion of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

During the sentencing hearing at Guildford Crown Court on Friday, March 5, Crampton was additionally handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Detective Constable Steve Branch, who investigated the incident, said: "The sentence and the indefinite SHPO given to Crampton reflect the serious nature of his offending and have meant that a dangerous sexual predator will now be behind bars and will not be able to pose a threat to vulnerable teenagers.

"Crampton communicated with who he thought was a teenage girl for several weeks and these messages were extremely sexual in nature, culminating in him arranging to meet her for sex.

"This case demonstrates our commitment to targeting sex offenders within our communities and ensuring they are held to account for their reprehensible behaviour."

Detective Inspector Lisa Heaton, from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: "The arrest of Crampton was part of a proactive, intelligence-led investigation relating to child sexual offences. It forms part of our continued priority to protect children from sexual exploitation and from those who would see do them harm.

"If anyone has been the victim of child sexual abuse, I would encourage them to report it to their local police force via 101. We will always follow up allegations and law enforcement work together to bring to justice individuals who use the internet to facilitate the abuse of children.

"Victims can talk in confidence to experienced investigators and we will also help them get access to a range of support services."

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The black-cab driver John Worboys has lost his appeal against the two additional life sentences he received in 2019 when more victims of the serial rapist came forward.

The 63-year-old was jailed indefinitely in 2009 for public protection with a minimum term of eight years after being found guilty of 19 offences involving attacks on 12 women, the earliest in 2000.

A 2018 decision to release Worboys was reversed by the Parole Board after a widespread public outcry and prompted other victims to report attacks. He was subsequently sentenced to two additional life sentences for attacks on four more women, with a minimum six-year term.

At a hearing in London on Wednesday before the lord chief justice, Lord Burnett, and two other judges, Joanne Cecil, representing Worboys, argued the six-year minimum term was excessive.

She also argued that the judge who sentenced him in 2019 was wrong to impose a life sentence because he was already serving a sentence of imprisonment for public protection, meaning he cannot be released until the Parole Board concludes he no longer poses a danger.

Burnett, however, said there had been no error in Mrs Justice McGowans approach to sentencing Worboys in 2019 and that the minimum term was not excessive.

Giving the courts decision, he said the sentencing judge had been confronted with a total of four offences over a protracted period, in the context of much wider offending dealt with by the crown court in 2009, and in circumstances bristling with aggravating factors..

Worboys, from Enfield in north London, who has changed his name to John Derek Radford, appeared in court over a video link from prison, wearing a blue jumper and glasses.

Police believe Warboys committed 105 sexual offences against women, using his cab to pick up victims before drugging them with alcohol laced with sedatives. In 2019, the court heard he had confessed to a psychologist that he plied 90 women with alcohol, drugging a quarter of them, after being inspired by pornography. He admitted fantasising about his crimes since 1986, motivated by a hostility towards women.

One of the victims of the offences for which Worboys was sentenced in 2019 was picked up by the cab driver in 2000 or early 2001 after an evening out at a wine bar in Soho. Worboys claimed he was celebrating a win on the horses before pulling into a side road off the A40 and giving her red wine. The court heard that was her last memory before waking naked in bed the next day at her home address with her clothes laid out in a trail.

Another victim, a university student in north London, was picked up with a friend by Worboys after a night out clubbing in central London in 2003. Reaching their home, the woman agreed to have a drink with Worboys but her friend left. After giving her something fizzy, Worboys drove to Paddington Basin where she recalled he appeared in her face, possibly after kissing her. She later remembered being back outside her house, lying on the floor of the cab.

The Parole Board decision to release Worboys was overturned by the high court in March 2018 after two of his victims challenged the decision. In November of the same year, the Parole Board overturned its own decision, deciding he should remain in prison after noting his risk and sense of sexual entitlement. The Parole Boards then chair, Nick Hardwick, lost his job over the affair.

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A grime artist who was serving 24 years in jail for imprisoning and repeatedly raping four women has had his sentence increased by six years.

Solo 45, whose real name is Andy Anokye, was found guilty of 21 rapes, five counts of false imprisonment, two counts of assault by penetration and two of actual bodily harm at Bristol Crown Court last July.

However, following a hearing the Court of Appeal have ruled that his initial sentence was "unduly lenient", and he will now spend 30 years in jail for the 30 charges which took place over a two-year period.

He also was also handed a five years additional licence to reflect the seriousness of his crimes.

Speaking after the ruling which was made by three senior judges, Solicitor General Michael Ellis QC called Anokye's offences "truly shocking".

Mr Ellis said the court's decision to increase the sentence recognised "the severity of the abuse [Anokye] inflicted upon his victims and the danger he poses to the public".

Calls for Anokye to be given a life sentence were rejected.

During his trial, the jury heard that the musician derived sexual pleasure from torturing women by waterboarding, interrogating, assaulting and raping them.

The court heard that Anokye forced one woman to lie in a bath of freezing cold water, held a shotgun to the head of another, held a cloth covered in bleach to women's faces, and forced a mobile phone down a woman's throat.

Graphic footage filmed by Anokye on his mobile phone showing him abusing multiple women was also shown to the jury as evidence.

The 33-year-old had claimed it was consensual role play, or a game he played called "catch me, rape me". He said he had told the women that he would "terrorise" them.

Anokye, who is from London but had a harbourside apartment in Bristol, told the court during evidence that he had dacryphilia - sexual arousal from tears and sobbing.

Anokye was part of grime collective Boy Better Know signed to record label Island Records, and had collaborated with the likes of Stormzy, JME and Wiley.

When passing his original sentence last summer, judge William Hart, told Anokye he had "no sexual boundaries or empathy for those concerned".

He said the rapper - who had a background of gang associations and criminal violence - "become addicted" to the "perverted pleasure" he gained from abusing his victims and that none of his fellow musicians knew about his "dark side".

He said Anokye's conviction had deprived him of a "flourishing career", but he had only himself to blame.

Avon and Somerset Police first began investigating him in 2017, after a woman reported being raped by him.

Following the discovery of the video footage on Anokye's phone, three further woman came forward to police.

A fifth woman also gave evidence against him, but her allegation could not be prosecuted as it happened abroad.

Anokye will only be released from prison after serving at least 20 years of his 30-year jail term behind bars and when the Parole Board is satisfied he no longer poses a danger to the public.

Speaking after the ruling, the Crown Prosecution Service's Jill Macnamara said she welcomed the increased sentence and hoped it would give victims of rape and sexual assault confidence in police powers to investigate, charge and prosecute cases reported to them.

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A Deptford security guard who raped a woman who mistook his car for a mini-cab while on duty has been jailed.

Sola Austin Warikwah, 39, of Albyn Road, appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday, December 17, where he was jailed for seven years for rape, having been found guilty in September.

He was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), and was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

The victim had been drinking in a nightclub in Bethnal Green before she arrived around the Embankment area in central London, encountering Warikwah in the early hours of Easter Monday, April 22, 2019.

Warikwah, a security patrol manager for contractor Securitas, was tasked with visiting sites and patrolling areas of central London between 7pm on April 21 and 7am on April 22, including the car park in Belgravia where the victim was raped.

During her ordeal, the victim, who was in her 20s, managed to send messages to a friend.

She wrote: “I’ve been raped. I feel sick. This taxi won’t take me home. I’m scared.”

She later managed to escape the car, taking photographs of her assailant as he walked away.

Warikwah was arrested at his home address in Deptford two days later.

Detective Sergeant John Paton, of Westminster Sapphire Team in the Safeguarding Unit, said:

“Sola Austin Warikwah is a predatory sex offender who targeted a vulnerable, unsuspecting woman travelling alone.

“Due to the courage and quick thinking of the victim, assistance from the public and the veracity of the investigation, a dangerous offender has been placed where he is no longer a threat to women.

“I sincerely hope that the sentence handed down today encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward.”

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