Locations
Station Way, Cheam, Sutton, SM3
Description
A woman raped by a vape shop owner when she was 14 told the paedophile he would “rot in prison”.
Iqbal Singh, 45, who also goes by Tony, groomed the schoolgirl at his Phone Repairs and Vape Store in Station Way, Cheam, by giving her free cannabis vapes and alcohol. He befriended her and other schoolchildren, letting them use the shop’s back room to watch TV, smoke THC vapes and drink alcohol he bought.
In late 2020, after getting drunk at a party and not wanting to go home, she asked to sleep in the shop. She woke to find Singh raping her. Three of the four sexual assaults occurred when he lifted her to reach £20 vapes on high shelves.
At Croydon Crown Court on Friday, March 13, Singh was convicted of rape and four sexual assaults against the same victim. He received a 22-year extended sentence — 14 years in custody plus eight years on licence — after Judge Tony Hyams-Parish ruled he posed a danger to adolescent girls. He must serve two-thirds of the prison term before parole eligibility. A restraining order was also imposed.
Looking at Singh, seated 10 metres away, the victim said: “The impact you had on me will be forever.
“It’s horrible. I can never unsee, forget or forgive what you have done, but whilst you rot in prison, missing the years you will blame me for losing, acting as the poor victim who couldn’t help himself but to rape a young, drunk and vulnerable schoolgirl, just know I am free.
“You have no control over my thoughts, my feeling, my life or my future – whilst your future is in the hands of the judge who I pray gives you, the vile paedophile, the harshest of sentences.”
She added: “It has left me with a feeling of grief, not because of what happened, but for who I could have been.” Now at university, she said: “While I may struggle to continue to grow, learn and move on, just know the young girl you raped, you traumatised, the life you tried to ruin will continue.
“I will become the person I want to be. I will graduate university. I will control my own life and my future.”
The court heard Singh committed a “strikingly similar” offence against a 16-year-old in 2019 at his previous Mobilfox vape shop in Hayes. Prosecutor Andrew Bousfield said he fixed the girl’s phone for free, plied her with vapes and money, told her he loved her and sexually assaulted her. Singh was convicted of that assault in 2022.
“He has used his vape shops to attract victims and he clearly had an attraction to the type of girls who would come to the vape shops,” Bousfield said.
A probation officer told the court Singh had “distorted views of age and consent” and saw himself as the victim. At trial he denied any sexual contact and accused the girl of lying.
The victim said: “I felt like I was on trial for being raped. [The defence barrister] accused me of being in love with this monster.
“I can see why so many women and girls don’t want to go to court when they’re treated worse than the rapist sitting in the courtroom.”
Judge Hyams-Parish told Singh: “It is quite clear to me you were grooming [the victim].”
The victim’s mother said Singh manipulated her daughter with free vapes he claimed were supplier samples. The grooming began months after he took over the Cheam shop — about a year after the Hayes offence.
“The disturbing similarities in his approach to both girls reveal a calculated and refined pattern of grooming,” she said. “That’s why I remain deeply concerned that there may be many more victims out there.
“Singh operated shops in Hayes in Bromley, and Cheam, and has known connections in Carshalton and Croydon. I urge every parent: if you’ve found vapes in your child’s possession or noticed sudden changes in their behaviour, trust your instincts. Start the conversation. It could make all the difference.”
She added: “I am incredibly proud of my daughter for finding the courage to stand up — not just for herself, but for others. She endured the trauma of going to court because she couldn’t bear the thought that if she stayed silent, it might happen to someone else.”
Met Police Det Sgt Toyene Lait said: “We remain concerned other survivors have not yet been identified. We are here to help, and anyone who would like to make a report should contact 101.”
Singh, born in Afghanistan and married with children, dissolved the Hayes business in October 2019 before buying the Cheam shop. The vape businesses now at both premises are owned by unrelated individuals.