Anthony Ekpenyong 37

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Fans of TikTok musician Anthony Q Lion are furious after they discovered their idol had failed to mention his rape conviction as he asked them for thousands of donations in his final performance. The neo soul singer, whose real name is Anthony Ekpenyong, masqueraded as a doting father and husband, but was harbouring a dark secret he kept hidden from his 337,000 followers.

In fact the 37-year-old from Chadwell Heath in East London had been found guilty of raping a woman who begged him to stop 107 times, and for forcing his fingers inside her without consent. Last Wednesday (November 1), on the eve of his seven year sentence, he bowed out to thousands of adoring fans who sent him 134,800 TikTok gifts which can range from 1p to £400 each.

Seething fans, who were not given a clear reason why he was leaving, claim this may have earned Ekpenyong thousands of pounds. MyLondon has also seen evidence of fans sending Lion Gifts, which cost app users around £325 each to purchase. Other fans have shared their anger, telling MyLondon they felt 'betrayed' and 'fooled' after giving the singer emotional support.

One fan told MyLondon: "He had a big following on TikTok and was sent a lot of gifts the night he said he was leaving. But he did not tell anyone why. He is a sick person."

Another fan told us: "He was a massive star on TikTok for singing and everyone in the community is very angry. A lot used to gift him big £400 gifts."

Another TikTok star also shared her concern after Ekpenyong slid into her DMs while his wife was pregnant, telling her 'You are a great person. Would be great to be friends sis'.

Rapist Ekpenyong was only able to rake in the cash because he was bailed ahead of his sentencing at Snaresbrook Crown Court last Thursday (November 2). After his conviction at a temporary Nightingale Court at the Barbican on September 26 this year, MyLondon understands the unusual step was taken to let him walk free due to the lack of a custody suite at the facility.

This was acknowledged by Judge Noel Casey, who said: "It would not normally happen for someone convicted of an offence of this kind." When MyLondon spoke to Ekpenyong's victim, she said it was "strange" her attacker had been allowed back into the community while waiting for his sentence.

Ekpenyong denied the rape, and put his victim through a trial where he falsely claimed her pleas to stop were actually just her begging to end their association. But when jurors were presented with an audio recording of the assault, taken by the panicking victim as she struggled under his bodyweight, they decided Ekpenyong was lying and found him guilty.

'People are going to say stuff about you'

Allowed home for over a month before he was jailed for seven years on Thursday, Ekpenyong made full use of his freedom to keep posting videos on TikTok. On the day of his conviction he shared a video, telling fans: "I really really really do appreciate everything you've done, and your support is priceless. There's no doubt I will always remember you... Thank you for all you have done."

The dad-of-one then posted a series of videos titled 'In My Daughter's Eyes' where he sang about his young girl. In his final post last week, before leaving for 'personal reasons', he invited fans to a swan song livestream, writing: "Today is my last day streaming in TikTok so come join me with some live music one more time."

Videos of the livestream, seen by MyLondon, show Ekpenyong, sitting with his wife and holding his daughter, telling thousands of fans 'Life is going to throw things at you that are going to question who you are. People are going to say stuff about you that's going to question... You're gonna doubt yourself, or you may doubt yourself because of what people say'.

Ekpenyong then launched into a rendition of 'He Lives In You' from The Lion King, causing his livestream to race to TikTok's Weekly Number 1 with over 134,000 gifts flooding his account in minutes. The video clearly shows Ekpenyong thanking fans who make the biggest gifts, but it remains unclear exactly how much money he earned.

After the performance, some admirers uploaded their own videos sharing theories about why he left, suggesting trolling, weight loss issues, and that he was just on holiday. After MyLondon broke the news of his sentence, fans twigged their hero was a rapist and joined a live stream discussion on Wednesday night (November 8), where some called for him to return their hard-earned cash.

Ekpenyong has previously raised £780 for a new Sony FX3 Cinema Camera on GoFundMe, and still directs TikTok followers to his Amazon Wishlist containing around £1,500 worth of equipment. His TikTok shop, and links to his PayPal and Cash App, were also accessible to MyLondon via the app over a week after he was sent to prison.

The predator has previously partnered with TikTok, appearing on the tiktoklive_uk channel in June this year when he said he wanted to 'help get people through their day' and 'empower people'. At the time he had been arrested and charged with three counts of rape and one count of assault by digital penetration. MyLondon understands TikTok was not aware of the charges at the time.

Fans have also called for his account to be banned by the platform, but MyLondon understands there are no plans to remove his profile unless posts are found to be in violation of community guidelines.

'It made me feel like a piece of meat'

Ekpenyong raped a woman who met him for consensual sex at his home, but changed her mind when he left the bedroom to grab a sex toy and she noticed another woman's clothes. Prosecutor Benjamin Aina KC counted 107 times when the victim asked Ekpenyong to stop, and described her screams of 'Ouch' and 'No', caught on the audio recording, as he pinned her down and raped her.

"It made me feel like a piece of meat. Like a helpless lamb caught in a barbed wire. It made me extremely angry, he made me feel that way." the victim told the court. "This man raping me does not define me, but it will show who he is at his core." The woman also said the rape had left her "broken in pieces", isolated, and powerless, with her security and identity lost.

Defence barrister Soroya Lawrence said the rape was a "complete aberration on what was before a thoughtful and caring man" and occurred "in the heat of the moment".

Judge Casey said Ekpenyong went on 'despite her pleading and despite her protestations' using his physical power to keep her in place. The judge, who sat on the trial, also told Ekpenyong his evidence in the witness box 'flew in the face' of the audio evidence captured by his victim.

TikTok was approached for comment.