Pawel Pazola 54

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A vile predator who posed as a police officer to rape two women has been jailed for 14 years.

Pawel Pazola, 51, used an imitation gun to threaten the Brazilian women - both in their 20s - with deportation and arrest.

A court heard the pervert arranged sexual services with both victims via an escort website but, after threatening them, he forced both into "sexual acts that went beyond their agreement".

But both sex workers showed great "bravery and courage" to report the offences and, through phone work, Met Police were able to identify Pazola and arrest him, His home address and car were searched.

He was locked up for 14 years on Friday at Wood Green Crown Court after a jury found him guilty of two counts of rape, one count of robbery, one count of impersonating a police officer and one count of possession of an imitation firearm.

The court heard Pazola met the first victim at a flat in Camden, north London, in August last year.

He forced her to engage in sexual acts that went beyond their agreement, Met Police said.

The woman later posted about the ordeal on a WhatsApp group chat for other Brazilian sex workers, where another member of the group said she had a similar experience, just two weeks after the initial north London attack.

Pazola again arranged to meet with a woman, this time at a property in Westminster, central London.

He forced her into sexual acts she hadn't consented to.

During both attacks, the defendant claimed to a police officer, produced a fake police badge and replica handgun, and also stole back money he had paid to the victims for their services.

The yob also stole further money from the second victim.

Pazola, of Crawley, West Sussex, was later arrested on Sunday August 30, 2020.

Detective Sergeant Sam Lockstone, who led the investigation, said: "Pazola is a highly dangerous predator who sought to take advantage of the victims’ perceived vulnerabilities for his own gratification and monetary gain.

"I would like to praise the victims for showing such bravery and courage throughout this investigation and during the trial. I am especially pleased that our supportive response to the first victim encouraged the second victim to come forward.

“The Met’s response to sex work has not changed; our priority remains addressing vulnerability and exploitation linked to on-street, off-street and online sex work.

“Our approach is not to criminalise the sex workers involved but to safeguard and support them, and build mutual trust and confidence to encourage the sharing of information to improve safety.

"I hope that this sentence demonstrates the Met’s commitment to tackling crimes against sex workers, and violence against women and girls in whatever form it may take."

A spokesperson from the charity Rehab UK, said: "The survivor faced multiple barriers in disclosing the crimes committed against her; fear of facing stigma and prejudice around whether she’d be believed, mistrust in figures of authority, a language barrier and concern surrounding her immigration status.

“Our role as an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor was to provide practical, confidential and compassionate support to help her overcome those barriers.

"She was able to find a way through difficulties and uncertainty, explore her options, and access opportunities to pursue criminal justice.

"Both women showed remarkable courage and resilience to report and follow the criminal justice process."