Press release: London teen has sentence increased for park rape

A 16 year old boy has had his sentence increased after Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC MP referred his original sentence to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient.

The teenager from South East London, who cannot be named due to his age, was originally sentenced to 6 years in a detention centre last October at Woolwich Crown Court. The Court has increased the sentence to a 12 year extended sentence comprising of 6 years detention and a 6 year extended licence.

On 19 April 2017 the offender approached the 46 year old victim who was walking through Sutcliffe Park in Eltham. He showed her a knife that was concealed in his waistband and told her to ‘walk normal’. He threatened to stab her in the face if she tried to run away.

After leading the victim to some bushes, he instructed her to remove the lower part of her clothing and he raped her. After the attack, the victim tried to run away but the offender caught up with her and grabbed her bag. There was a struggle over the bag before the offender managed to run away and the victim was able to call for help.

Speaking after the hearing, the Attorney General said:

This attack left the victim fearing for her life. The original sentence failed to take proper account of the seriousness of the offence and the danger this young man poses to the public. I am pleased the Court has now seen fit to increase his sentence, and I hope it can bring some comfort to the victim and her family.