Michael Chand 46

Description

A man who was arrested 24 hours after a rape offence has been jailed for life after he was found guilty of rape and of assault of a woman he only met recently before.

Michael Chand, 46, had met his victim less than a week earlier and struck up a friendship. He called the victim and told her to come to his address in Acacia Gardens, N22, On Wednesday, August 16, 2023.

At his place, the woman was asked if she found him attractive. After she did not provide the answer he wanted, he became verbally abusive and angry, telling her she was not allowed to leave the house.

He then began to hit her and threatened to be violent towards not just her but other people she knew. Chand continued to physically assault her before raping her on three separate occasions after she had repeatedly told him that she did not want to have sex.

Two days later, on Friday, August 18 2023, the woman called the police to report the rape. Following this, detectives immediately searched for Chand, who had left London. Chand returned later that day and was arrested and taken into custody before being charged.

Detective Constable Cameron Crighton, who led the investigation, said: “Chand is a sexual predator who subjected the victim in this case to horrendous sexual and physical abuse.

“The victim showed incredible bravery by coming forward to police, providing a full account of what had happened and then reliving this by giving evidence in court. She is central to this conviction and we do not underestimate the strength it has taken for her to do this.

“We take all reports of sexual assault extremely seriously and encourage anyone who has been subject to such offending to come forward and speak to us.”

Chand was sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of ten years on Wednesday, April 24, after being found guilty of three counts of rape and one count of assault following a trial at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday, February 16.