Thursday 23 June 2016

An illegal immigrant who carried out a terrifying ten day campaign of sex attacks in south London has been jailed for eight years.
Mehdi Midani, 28, who came to Britain from Algeria, attacked eight lone women aged between 20 and 30 last October.
He molested four women in the space as of just four hours as he stalked the streets of Clapham looking for victims.
Midani followed women busy areas near tube stations to quiet residential areas and then groped them on their own doorsteps.
One woman was assaulted in her hallway, Inner London Crown Court was told.
Midani, of no fixed abode, was jailed having been convicted of six counts of sexual assault and one common assault. He also admitted a seventh charge of sexual assault.
The court heard that the UK Border Agency had no record of Midani entering Britain, and he was told he would be deported after serving his sentence.
Midani refused to talk to police and did not give evidence at his trial.
He was picked out of an identity parade and also by DNA evidence, the court heard.
He claimed in a pre-sentence report he had been high on a cocktail of whisky, vodka and cocaine when he carried out the offences.
He also said he had travelled to Brixton from north London to buy drugs.
Six of the women submitted victim statements to the court saying how the crime had affected them.
Midani caused enormous fear and distress to the local community as he carried out his spate of attacksDetective Inspector Keith Braithwaite
Many told how they were now scared to go out alone after dark and had changed their social lives and work routines as a result of Midani's crimes.
Prosecutor Sally-Ann Hales QC said all the women had been vulnerable.
She said: "They were followed from areas that were busy into quiet residential areas. All apart from one were assaulted late at night and all after darkness.
"CCTV shows that each of these women was targeted by the defendant as they emerged from Tube stations in the area. And they were followed for some considerable distance as they made their way home, but not attacked until they got to their doorstep."
Detective Inspector Keith Braithwaite, from the Met's Serious and Complex Case Team, part of the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: “I hope this sentence today sends a clear message that will deter other offenders and give reassurance to members of the public and victims of our determination to bring to account the perpetrators of such dreadful attacks.
“Midani caused enormous fear and distress to the local community as he carried out his spate of attacks. A public appeal was crucial to our investigation and led to information being provided that quickly led to his arrest.”

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