Man jailed for raping teenage girl in the West End, in 'predatory and harrowing' alleyway attack
21 October 2022, 17:26
A man has been sent to prison for 21 years after raping a teenage girl in the West End of London.
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Timothy King, of Kilburn in north-west London, was also found guilty of other offences less than two weeks later, in an incident where a woman was raped.
King was in Leicester Square at 5am on September 27 last year when he came across a group of young girls who had been out socialising.
King separated a 16-year-old from the group and took her down a dark alley, where he raped her. She tried to fight off the attack, but was unable.
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The girl reported the rape to the police the same day. Officers launched a manhunt and after intense work by detectives, tracked King down to a hideout in east London.
In the meantime, King had been in Slough, a town west of London, where on October 9, he locked the front door of a property, grabbed a woman by the throat, and forced her onto the bed. She was then raped.
He then followed her round the property and would not allow her to leave. He left the next day and she reported the attack to police and got medical treatment.
Thames Valley Police and the Met Police worked out they were looking for the same person, and collaborated to track King down on October 18.
'They do more to protect statues than they do to protect women from rape.'
A jury found King guilty of three counts of rape and one count each of false imprisonment, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and perverting the course of justice at Reading Crown Court on August 1 this year.
He was sentenced at the same court on Tuesday, and was given seven years' extended licence on top of his sentence.
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Detective Sergeant Sophie McLoughlin, from the Met’s Central West Command Unit, said: “This was a predatory and harrowing attack on a young girl in the West End of London. Timothy King exploited the vulnerabilities of his victim in order to fulfil his desires.
"Crimes of this nature have a devastating long-lasting impact and the victims have shown immense courage throughout. Their bravery is inspiring and we hope that this significant prison sentence can bring some form of closure to them both as they rebuild their lives.
“This was a joint effort with Thames Valley Police, who we worked with closely throughout to ensure that King was taken off the streets. King’s actions were horrific and we are pleased that together we have been able to prevent the chance of him committing further offences.
“Investigating serious sexual offences is a top priority for the Met and we are determined in our task to protect the public from predators such as Timothy King.”
