Latest Offenders London

Description

A twisted sex offender who kidnapped a three-year-old girl in his camper van and subjected her to horrendous abuse has finally faced justice. Robert Frid, 78, had lured the girl to his van under the pretence he needed help before driving away and dumping her in the street in Bracknell afterwards.

The incident, which occurred in 1986, went unsolved for 37 years until his DNA was discovered on his victim’s underwear after Thames Valley Police reopened the investigation. Frid, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to one count of kidnap and one count of indecent assault and has now been jailed for 10 years.

The sick paedophile is already in jail for other unconnected sexual offences and will not be considered for parole until 2027. The sentence for the Bracknell offences will run consecutive to his previous convictions, which include the abuse of another young girl.

Head of Thames Valley Police’s Major Crime Investigation Review Team, which investigates unsolved homicides and serious sexual offences, Peter Beirne said: “This was an horrendous attack on a three-year-old girl, who was playing outside with friends when Robert Frid kidnapped her in Bracknell.

“Frid approached the girl, claiming that he needed help with his vehicle. When the girl followed Frid into his VW Camper Van, he drove off. While in the campervan, Frid indecently assaulted the girl, before asking her to exit the vehicle and leaving her on her own. She was later found by member of the public and taken home.

“Advances in forensic science enabled our team to reinvestigate the case. Frid was linked to the crimes when his DNA was found on the victim’s underwear. It is in excess of one billion times more likely that Frid had contributed to the DNA found on the victim’s underwear, than if he had not contributed to the DNA discovered.

“Facing such strong evidence, Frid pleaded guilty to the kidnap and indecent assault of the girl. I’m pleased he will spend a considerable time behind bars, and after 37 years the victim now has justice. This is why my team come to work, to solve the most serious of historic crimes and secure justice for the victims and their families.

“Frid’s conviction is the twentieth that our team have secured against offenders for the most serious historic stranger attacks on woman and young girls. We have also convicted six offenders for murders across the Thames Valley.

“We will continue to reinvestigate these historic cases and use the advancements in forensic science to develop new evidence to bring offenders to justice.”

Description

A serial flasher has appeared in court after he was caught masturbating on a train again.

Bobby Garande, 29, appeared in court on Thursday April 6 after he pleaded guilty to masturbating on a Thameslink train on October 14, 2021. 

The sex offender is already serving a 27 month sentence at HMP Thameside for masturbating in front of a woman on the same train line on October 12, 2021. 

On that occasion he peered at the woman through a gap in the seats while fondling his crotch. 

The woman took a photo of him and when Garande got off at Bromley South she followed him until police arrived and he was arrested. 

Garande, from Thornton Heath, had also previously exposed himself to a woman on the number 50 bus in Croydon while two children were sitting directly opposite him. 

At Westminster Magistrates’ Court he pleaded guilty that on October 14, 2021, he outraged public decency. 

He was given a prison sentence of 26 weeks, which will be added to the 27 month sentence he was already serving. 

Garande has around 20 criminal convictions, ten of which are for sexual offences. 

Description

Alvin Tuitt a 24-year-old man has been jailed for ten years for raping a 12-year-old girl in a disabled toilet at King's Cross last year. 

Paedophile Alvin Tuitt, from Lewisham, stalked his victim - who was travelling from Maryland station in Newham to King's Cross - on October 10 last year. 

After approaching her at Maryland station, Tuitt leant her a power pack to charge her phone and paid for her onward train ticket

He accompanied her on her journey and upon arrival to Kings Cross, took her to a disabled toilet where he raped her and then attempted to rape her again. 

She reported it to police later that day and Tuitt was arrested, charged and remanded within 24 hours of the offence taking place.

He was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to rape and attempted rape.

The judge sentenced Tuitt to 10 years' imprisonment for rape, with a five-year extended sentence on licence, and eight years to run concurrently for an additional count of attempted rape on the same girl.

He is also subjected to a life-long Sexual Harm Prevention Order and notification requirement for life.

The judge commended the victim for her bravery in coming forward and reporting this to police.

Detective Constable Mark Pink said: 'The victim in this case was 12 years old and was extremely vulnerable.

'She has been extremely brave in telling police what happened and providing testimony to assist the investigation. The effect that this incident has had on her life and that of her family cannot be measured.

'Tuitt is a predator with a previous conviction for a similar offence and he rightfully now faces a long time behind bars.'

Description

A man has been jailed for multiple sexual offences in Hackney and Enfield after a tenacious investigation uncovered a trial of offending.

Carl Adimado, 34 (13.02.89) of Enfield appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday, 4 April where he was sentenced to four years and six months’ imprisonment that will be followed by three years and six months on licence.

He will also be placed on the sex offender’s register for life and will be the subject of a sexual harm prevention order with stringent conditions in place to safeguard the public.

The sentence relates to 22 counts of up-skirting; five counts of sexually assaulting a child; four counts of exposure; two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child; two counts of sexual assault and two counts of making indecent photographs of a child.

Adimado had previously pleaded guilty to 37 charges at the same court on Thursday, 8 December 2022.

PC Lee Ravens of the Met’s Predatory Offender Unit said: “Carl Adimado is a predatory offender who has committed a variety of indecent offences, in high volume, against women and girls. He was clearly not going to stop until caught.”

An allegation was first made to police in July 2022 by a woman reporting that on 10 July 2022, a male had ‘up-skirted’ her [recorded under her skirt] in a supermarket close to Seven Sisters Road.

An investigation was launched by officers from the Predatory Offender Unit within the Met’s Central North Command.

CCTV at the offence location was examined and the suspect was quickly identified as Carl Adimado who, at that time, worked at the supermarket.

On the day he was identified, Adimado was arrested by officers at his home address. Following police interviews he was released on bail.

Not certain that this was a single, isolated offence, officers examined additional CCTV and identified a further 16 offences against eight separate victims in just one day.

Adimado was charged, by post, for these 16 offences.

Examination of Adimado’s mobile phone recovered a significant volume of indecent images of children along with a large number of videos showing him exposing himself, touching himself in public and sexually assaulting school girls, who were in uniform, on their way to school.

Adimado was arrested for these additional offences and was remanded in custody. He later pleaded guilty to the 16 offences of up-skirting.

But the investigation was not over. The school uniforms worn by the child victims in the videos allowed officers to establish their schools and officers went on to identify each child. They were interviewed in the presence of their parents and when all of the victims had been spoken to and appropriate support was in place, Adimado was charged with a further 21 offences; bringing the total to 37.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court on 8 December 2022, Adimado pleaded guilty to the 21 new charges and was remanded in custody for sentencing.

PC Ravens added: “This case clearly demonstrates the need for offences of this type to be reported to police. Just one brave woman coming forward has made it possible for us to remove a dangerous and callous sex offender from the community where he was offending against women and schoolgirls, as well as to identify and support other brave yet vulnerable victims.

“I applaud her actions and hope that this case encourages other women to come forward and report incidents of this type in the knowledge that such reports will be taken seriously and investigated fully.

“If you have been a victim of any level of sexual assault, please do report it to police, at the very least so that we can support you – at best so that we can also remove predators to a place where they are no longer a danger to women and girls.”

Description

Alan Luckhurst groped two 17-year-old students that were working with him in hair salons.

A “predatory” hairdresser that sexually assaulted two teenagers working in his salon has not been sent to jail. Alan Luckhurst, who is an award-winning hairstylist, assaulted two 17-year-old girls in two separate salons in Twickenham in 2017 and Sutton in 2021.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the father-of-two had been charged and bailed for the initial groping, before the second occurred.

Luckhurst may have other victims, the Met has said. The force is now appealing for them to come forward.

Married man Luckhurst told Kingston Crown Court he was “just a tactile person”.

However last Monday he was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months.

A 17-year-old girl told authorities about the sexual assault which took place when she was on a placement at the Twickenham hairdressers.

Luckhurst was removed from the establishment following his arrest. Having been charged in October 2019, he then founded a new business in Sutton in Greater London.

Two years after that another 17-year-old girl went to police and said he’d sexually assaulted her when she was an apprentice in the salon.

The teenager said she was touched by Luckhurst within a matter of weeks of starting at the business.

He felt the breasts of the first victim repeatedly and also put his hand between her legs.

Luckhurst also put his groin against her bottom.

The second victim also had her breasts groped by Luckhurst, who made her touch him between his legs.

With the exception of one incident where he forced his hand under the second victim’s bra, all of his offences involved groping over the girls’ clothing.

Following a trial in January, Luckhurst was found guilty of eight counts of sexual assault and two counts of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.

Additionally, the hairdresser of Worcester Park, south-west London, received a sexual harm prevention order preventing him from employing anyone under 18 or acting as their boss.

The sex offender won ‘Retailer of the Year’ in 2013 while manager of a salon in Richmond, in the south-west of the capital.

Detective Constable Natalie Alchin, who led the investigation into the stylist, said: “Luckhurst completely abused his position as manager of these young women and took advantage of being alone with them during their time at work.

“It is clear that the offences he committed have had a serious and significant impact on both their personal and professional lives.

“They have shown tremendous bravery, both in coming forward to police and then giving evidence at court.”

DC Alchin noted that officers believe that there could be other young victims of Luckhurst’s “predatory behaviour”.

She said: “We believe there may be other young women who may have worked with Luckhurst and been victim to his predatory behaviour.

“We would urge anyone who believes that to be the case to come forward and speak to us. We have specialist support in place and will listen to everything you have to say.”

Description

A twisted paedophile who took pictures of himself abusing two young children has been jailed as the families of his victims speak about their horrible ordeal in waiting five years for justice to be served.

David Collins, 52, had abused two young children over a period of several years and was found with hundreds of indecent images of them, including selfies taken as he was carrying out the sexual assaults. Following a trial at Croydon Crown Court, he was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault by touching of two children under 13-years-old.

He has now been jailed for five years for his clever and conniving behaviour, which has torn apart the lives of his victims and their heartbroken families. Speaking to MyLondon, one family member said that they had been crushed by his actions and that the five-year long wait for a conviction had impacted the victims mental health.

His first victim, who MyLondon will refer to as Child A to protect their anonymity, first came forward with the abuse in 2017, after confiding in a schoolfriend. Their mum soon became aware, and as preliminary investigations into Collins began, Child B came forward and informed ]their] parents that they too had been abused.

Collins, a former game developer for Sony, had sexually assaulted his victims while they were sitting on his lap, using an iPad as a smokescreen to cover his actions. Upon his arrest, 844 pictures of Child B were discovered on his devices as well as other compromising images of Child A.

Speaking to MyLondon, a relative of Child A said: I watched [them] change from being this full of life, bubbly young kid to a sad, depressed [child]. I remember taking [them] out once and we got the photos [from the outing] back and [they] just looked dead behind the eyes. Its one of the hardest things Ive seen.

After reporting the abuse to the police in 2017, it took five years for Collins to be placed on trial, increasing the stress and strain upon his young victims. It's taken five long years, its shocking, the relative said. That is what has done half of the mental health damage because the whole long process of it all and it being years before they were interviewed again.

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BY HOLLY EVANS
14:22, 23 MAR 2023UPDATED15:08, 23 MAR 2023
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David Collins has been jailed for five years after being found guilty of abusing two children
David Collins has been jailed for five years after being found guilty of abusing two children (Image: Handout)
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A twisted paedophile who took pictures of himself abusing two young children has been jailed as the families of his victims speak about their horrible ordeal in waiting five years for justice to be served.

David Collins, 52, had abused two young children over a period of several years and was found with hundreds of indecent images of them, including selfies taken as he was carrying out the sexual assaults. Following a trial at Croydon Crown Court, he was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault by touching of two children under 13-years-old.

He has now been jailed for five years for his clever and conniving behaviour, which has torn apart the lives of his victims and their heartbroken families. Speaking to MyLondon, one family member said that they had been crushed by his actions and that the five-year long wait for a conviction had impacted the victims mental health.

His first victim, who MyLondon will refer to as Child A to protect their anonymity, first came forward with the abuse in 2017, after confiding in a schoolfriend. Their mum soon became aware, and as preliminary investigations into Collins began, Child B came forward and informed ]their] parents that they too had been abused.

Collins, a former game developer for Sony, had sexually assaulted his victims while they were sitting on his lap, using an iPad as a smokescreen to cover his actions. Upon his arrest, 844 pictures of Child B were discovered on his devices as well as other compromising images of Child A.

Speaking to MyLondon, a relative of Child A said: I watched [them] change from being this full of life, bubbly young kid to a sad, depressed [child]. I remember taking [them] out once and we got the photos [from the outing] back and [they] just looked dead behind the eyes. Its one of the hardest things Ive seen.

After reporting the abuse to the police in 2017, it took five years for Collins to be placed on trial, increasing the stress and strain upon his young victims. It's taken five long years, its shocking, the relative said. That is what has done half of the mental health damage because the whole long process of it all and it being years before they were interviewed again.

As well as awaiting years for the trial, the families were also told at short notice on two occasions that the sentencing date had been changed, causing further anxiety. It shouldnt be hush-hush, he shouldnt be getting any leniency on this. Weve been checking the sex offenders register, he still hasnt been put on there. Everything regarding this case has been wrong, she said.

While the family of Child A welcomed his five-year prison sentence, the impact on his victim has been enormous and they have been unable to continue attending school. It came out in [their] statement how [they] wanted to kill [themself], [they] didnt want to be here anymore. It's given [them] epilepsy and although theyre saying that would have been lying dormant, the trauma of this is what has triggered it, she said.

He gets to serve two years, come out and move away and he can start his life all over again while there are people out there who have been crushed by this.

Both families are concerned however that further victims may have not come forward, and are urging anyone with information to contact the police. A relative of Child B said: We dont believe that he woke up at the age of 40 and decided Im going to play with a child today. We believe there are more victims. The reason for the victims doing this is that they want to prevent this from happening again.

She continued: We believe he didnt get long enough for the crimes that he committed, his face was actually in the photographs and you could see what he was doing. I personally dont believe it was long enough however is any sentence going to be long enough? Would life be long enough? No, because hes going to get out.

Collins, of Byrnes Road, Croydon, has been jailed for five years and has been made the subject of a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Description

A West Yorkshire takeaway owner has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years after he admitted sexually assaulting and raping a young woman after he “plied her with alcohol” at his Shipley premises.

Bradford Crown Court heard on Tuesday that some parts of Sivaganeshan Pardeep’s prolonged attack on his victim had been captured on CCTV footage and at one point he was filmed walking about the premises without his trousers on. The 37-year-old, who had also been drinking alcohol that night, maintained that he could not recollect what had happened and even after being shown the CCTV footage he claimed that there had been no sexual contact between them.

But in January, less than a fortnight before his victim was due to be cross-examined ahead of his trial, Pardeep indicated that he would be pleading guilty to the charges of rape and two sexual assaults.

At one point during the footage his victim appeared to be trying to fend him off with a knife, but she then dropped it and collapsed to the floor. The court heard that married Pardeep, of Barnard Gardens, New Malden, London, had no previous convictions and as a result of his jail sentence he will now have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Judge Andrew Hatton said the complainant, who must not be identified for legal reasons, had very quickly started to feel drowsy after drinking some of the alcohol. He told Pardeep: “You began to speak to her about problems in your marriage and then over the course of the next two or three hours when she was at times almost unconscious, and throughout under the influence of the alcohol with which you had plied her, you engaged in a variety of sex acts with her."

He said the woman had been crying and feeling faint as Pardeep attempted to kiss her and he had then removed her underwear.

“She was screaming and felt unable to breathe,” said Judge Hatton. It was said that at times Pardeep had been physically manipulating his victim’s body when she was either intoxicated or unwell. After the attack Pardeep had offered to take the woman home, but she ran from the premises and reported what had happened.

Pardeep denied there had been any sexual contact following his arrest, but his barrister Gillian Batts said he now accepted the strong scientific evidence along with the CCTV footage. She added: “He instructs me that he is sorry about what he has done."

Jailing Pardeep Judge Hatton said it had been a “prolonged and sustained” incident. He told him: “Your victim was particularly vulnerable due to the fact that you had plied her with alcohol and it was apparent to you the impact that the alcohol had had upon her."

The judge said the victim personal statement demonstrated that the offences had had a significant impact on the complainant.

Description

Leon Ward, 49, of New Addington, appeared at Croydon Crown Court on Friday, 24 February where he was sentenced to ten years, to serve six years and eight months custodial, and the remainder on licence for the attempted rape and sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.

He will also be on the sex offenders register for life. Ward had previously been convicted at the same court on Friday, 10 February.

The court heard how Ward had befriended the child in May 2020 when he had seen her in New Addington.

Further to some chance meetings, Ward soon began texting the victim and asking her to send compromising pictures of herself which she did not send.

On Monday, 18 May 2020 the victim agreed to meet with Ward for a walk into the woods, during which Ward assaulted her and attempted to rape her.

Ward was arrested on 18 May 2020 and was charged on 10 November 2021 with attempted rape of a 14 year old girl, three counts of sexual assault by penetration; two counts of sexual assault by touching and sexual communication with a child. All offences were committed against the same victim.

Detective Constable Jamie Munro, the investigating officer, said: “Ward took advantage of a vulnerable young girl believing that she would not tell anyone.

“Thankfully he was wrong. I applaud the bravery of the victim in coming forward. Her actions may have saved other potential victims from suffering the same offences.

“Identifying and apprehending those who commit violent offences against women and girls is a priority for us, and I urge anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence to speak to police, at the very least to ensure you are supported.”

Description

A serial sex attacker who prowled tube stations before assaulting three women in two weeks is jailed for almost five years.

Mohammad Yahia Alloush, 26, attacked three commuters over the course of two weeks in 2021 and has now been sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison.

Alloush has also been banned from being within 50 metres of any tube, train or bus stop in London between 7pm and 7am for the next seven years after he was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

A detective on the case called Alloush a 'cowardly, predatory offender' at his sentencing at Harrow Crown Court.

His first attack on September 5 saw him loiter around Dollis Hill Underground Station in north west London for around 20 minutes.

CCTV caught him following a woman out of the station and down a number of streets before violently attacking and sexually assaulting her.

Just days later on September 11, the 26-year-old confronted a second woman leaving the same station.

He demanded money then sexually assaulted her before running away.

On September 16, Alloush was seen leaving Neasden Underground Station and then approached his third victim in a nearby alleyway.

He sexually assaulted her before stealing her headphones and fleeing the scene.

CCTV at Dollis Hill Station the night of his first attack was used to identify Alloush - because he tapped his Oyster card when he got back to the station following the attack.

The Oyster card he used was registered to his home address and police arrested him on his way to work.

During these searches offices found a distinctive black and white striped t-shirt worn in the first attack which has been seen on CCTV.

The headphones taken in the third attack were also found in his bedroom.

A DNA swab taken from the first victim was subsequently linked to Alloush.

Extensive work was also carried out on his mobile phone which put him near the locations of the attacks at the times they occurred.

Victims read impact statements out to the court which told how they had been left fearful of leaving their homes after dark.

One victim said they had taken to carrying a colour spray with which to spray any further attacker and a whistle to attract attention.

Detective Constable Matthew Chapman said: 'Mohammed Alloush is a cowardly, predatory offender, who appeared unafraid of attacking women who he had picked out near underground stations.

'His offending was apparently escalating when he was caught, and areas of North West London are all the safer for him being in prison.

'Alloush always denied involvement and I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of the victims who were ready to give evidence against him right up until the first day of trial when he changed his plea to guilty.'

Description

A 31-year-old man who drank himself into a stupor before knocking on a pensioners door and spontaneously sexually assaulting her is to have his jail sentence reviewed, after it was referred to the Attorney General under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

Asadul Karim was jailed for nine months at Burnley Crown Court after being convicted at trial of sexual assault.

The court was told how on May 28, 2021, Karim, of Beveridge Mews in the Stepney Green area of London, was for some reason in Burnley and had found himself in an intoxicated state.

At around 9.45pm, he had knocked on the door of a 79-year-old womans house before entering and sexually assaulting her.

Karim was handed a nine month jail sentence and told to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.

However, after a member of public asked for it to be reviewed under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme, his sentence is now under consideration by the office of Attorney General Victoria Prentis.

If the Attorney General deems his sentence to be 'unduly lenient', the case will be sent to the Court of Appeal, where his jail time could be extended.

If it is sent to the Court of Appeal under the scheme, the most senior judges in the land will then make a decision.

Karims sentence will either be increased, stay the same, or judges may refuse to hear the case.

Even if a case is passed on to the Court of Appeal it may not change the sentence.

A decision will be made in due course.

Description

A man from east London has been jailed for online blackmail, drug supply offences and distribution of indecent images of a child.

George Austin-Bohan, 28, threatened to post pictures of a child online which he had obtained without their knowledge.

In 2018 and 2020 he demanded money from two women online, threatening to publish indecent images of a child on Instagram, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

He was also convicted of possessing with intent to supply class A drugs cocaine and MDMA.

In September 2022 a Misuse of Drugs Act search warrant was executed at a residential address in Tower Hamlets. Drugs with an estimated street value of £10,000 - £15,000 were seized along with over £7,000 in cash.

Austin-Bohan, from Tower Hamlets, was arrested at the scene.

He was sentenced to five years and three months imprisonment for three counts of blackmail Malicious communications Distribution of indecent images of children distribution and four drug supply counts.

He was also hit with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be required to sign the Sex Offender’s Register for 10 years.

His electronic devices were seized and upon forensic examination were found to contain digital evidence of the offences.

PC Lindsey England, investigating officer from the Met’s Central East Command said: “The offences committed in this case are vile and have been truly distressing for the victims. Austin-Bohan used multiple social media accounts in an attempt to conceal his identity and continued to deny his involvement throughout the investigation.

“There has been a considerable amount of investigative effort including vast digital forensic work involved in this case but without the victims’ bravery in coming forward Austin-Bohan could not have been brought to justice.

“I hope that the sentence handed down provides them with a sense of justice and I hope they can put these incidents behind them. Online sexual offences, both against children and adults are damaging in the extreme and I would urge people to report such crimes to police so that they can be investigated. Victims will be listened to and should know that there are many avenues of support available.”

Description

A paedophile who repeatedly abused a girl has been jailed. Dylan Alfie Cullen, 19, was locked up for more than nine years after admitting to a number of sexual offences against a child.

The Met Police was called in March 2022 to an address in Kingston after the girls family called the force. Cullen was arrested and taken into custody but declined to answer any questions when interviewed.

Cullen carried out his offending over an 18-month period, Met Police said. The girl he abused was known to him.

Cullen was charged and pleaded guilty on October 28 to the rape of a child under 13, two counts of sexual assault and two counts of encouraging a child to engage in sexual activity. All the offences relate to one female child.

Cullen, from Kingston, appeared at Harrow Crown Court on Thursday (February 23) for sentencing. He was jailed for nine and a half years with a further year to be served on licence.

Police praise 'strength' of victim and family

Detective Constable Annabel Leslie-Miller, of the Met Police, said: This has been an extremely challenging investigation but the successful outcome has only been possible thanks to the strength the girl and her family have shown throughout this process. I hope now that Cullen has been convicted and sentenced, they can begin to move on with their lives.

"I also hope it encourages anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse to come forward and speak to police. We have specially trained officers who can support you and investigate what has happened."

Description

A Kennington man, who posed as a minicab driver to rape a woman who fell asleep in his car months after carrying out a violent attack on another woman near his home, was sentenced to 19 years in prison today (Thursday, February 24).

The court was told how 38-year-old Michael Mehari stalked the streets of Kennington to attack vulnerable women on their way home from a night out.

The first attack took place on Sunday, December 29, 2019, as the victim, in her twenties, was making her way home from a night out with friends. She was hit on the head before being dragged into a secluded pathway in the Kennington Park Road area.

He remained at large before striking again in the early hours of March 20 last year. The court heard the second victim, also in her twenties, had ordered an Uber to King Cross and she got into Mehari’s car, believing it was her taxi. She dozed off in the back of the vehicle and awoke to find Mehari attacking her.

He had taken her to a quiet side street in Kennington. She confronted him, left the vehicle and reported the incident to transport staff at a nearby tube station who called police.

An investigation was launched and enquiries led to the arrest of Mehari. A DNA sample, taken in custody, linked him to both the 2019 and 2022 attacks.

Detective Constable Tristan Jones of the Met’s Central South Command said: “Mehari is a dangerous opportunist who actively sought lone women.

“Identifying and apprehending those who commit violence against women and girls is a priority to which we are absolutely committed.

“I applaud the bravery of the victims in this case. I sincerely hope that the sentence handed to Mehari provides them with a degree of closure and a sense that justice has been done.

“I urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault to contact police or a support agency. Please don’t suffer in silence.”

Mehari must serve at least two thirds of his prison sentence before being considered for release. He will also be subject to sex offender notifications for life.

Description

A pervert who arranged to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex was caught by online paedophile hunters who had been posing as the teenager.

Adam Gruter turned up at the KFC in Darlington in the hope of meeting the teenager but was confronted by members of the Child Online Safety Team who filmed the confrontation face-off.

Teesside Crown Court heard how a woman posing as the teenager had spent several days speaking with the defendant online before the conversation turned sexual and he sent her an indecent picture of himself.

Emma Atkinson, prosecuting, said the defendant had sent a number of messages on WhatsApp after befriending the decoy on Facebook.

She told the court how Gruter quizzed his potential victim about her virginity and bra size while asking her to send images of herself between October 9 and 20 last year.

The adult decoy told the defendant on several occasion that she was 14 and was living in the Newton Aycliffe area but that did not deter his behaviour, Miss Atkinson added.

She said: “They agreed to meet at KFC on Yarm Road, Darlington, after telling her he had booked a room at Bannatyne’s Hotel.”

After he was confronted by the paedophile hunters the police were called and he was arrested, the court heard.

The 43-year-old, of Elm Park Gardens, London, pleaded guilty to inciting or causing a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to meet a child following grooming.

Robert Mochrie, mitigating, said his client had not been in the area specifically to just meet the ‘teenage girl’ as he was working for a wine company making deliveries all over the country.

Addressing the judge, he added: “He acknowledges that you will be minded to impose an immediate custodial sentence.

“This is unseaming and troubling behaviour which he has engage in.”

Judge Timothy Stead sentenced Gruter to 20 months in custody for both offences after acknowledging that the intended victim was not actually a 14-year-old girl.

He added: “During the exchanges... you demonstrated your intention to carry out this through to a sexual meeting by booking a hotel room.”

Gruter was also made subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order and will have to sign the sex offenders’ register for the same period of time.

Description

A serial sex offender dubbed the 'Night Bus Beast' who continued to walk the streets following multiple police failings could soon be released from prison following an upcoming parole hearing.

Terrorising women as part of campaign of terror, Kirk Reid, now 58, was convicted of 26 indecent assaults and two rapes in 2009.

Targeting lone female passengers over a 23-year period in London, Reid's conviction exposed a series of failings by the Metropolitan Police.

Likened to the case of 'Black Cab Rapist' John Worboys in terms of the prolific nature of his offending, police failings saw him remain at large despite multiple arrest opportunities.

Now, the serial offender, who was given a life term and ordered to serve a minimum of seven-and-a-half years behind bars, has been transferred to an open prison following an earlier parole hearing.

It's a move that often precedes an offender being released on license.

The lowest category jail, open prisons allow for minimal security measures and the opportunity for visitors to work outside of the prison's walls.

According to the Daily Mail, Reid's new parole hearing is scheduled to take place in May 2023.

At the time of his conviction, Reid was described as a "Jekyll and Hyde" character by Judge Shani Barnes who was overseeing the case at Kingston Crown Court.

Despite being convicted of the 28 counts, the total number of victims is believed to be closer to 100.

It was revealed that Reid, who was a chef at the time, was identified as a suspect following a series of sex attacks in 2004, a name that was flagged to police at least 12 times without any further enquiries being launched.

Following the conviction, assistant Met commissioner John Yates conceded that multiple errors had been made in the handling of the case.

'Nothing can adequately excuse the failure to follow up straightforward lines of inquiry that should have seen Reid arrested at that time,' Yates wrote retrospectively in the Guardian in March 2009.

It was revealed that Reid, who was a chef at the time, was identified as a suspect following a series of sex attacks in 2004, a name flagged to police at least 12 times without further enquiries being launched.

Reid, also an amateur referee of women's football matches, targeting women walking alone or travelling on public transport.

He was only by change that Reid was brought to justice in January 2008 when the case was handed to a senior detective from the homicide and serious crime command unit who linked him using DNA.