Latest news with #serialrapist
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Latvian serial rapist who attacked and murdered London A-level student, 17, will cost taxpayers another £2m to keep behind bars for rest of his life - because if he is deported he may walk free
A Latvian serial rapist who attacked and murdered a 17-year-old A-Level student in London is set to cost UK taxpayers £2million more behind bars. Attempts to deport Viktors Dembovskis to his native country had to be abandoned because it could not be guaranteed he would not be released there, following the murder he carried out in Sudbury Hill, north-west London. His victim Jeshma Raithatha was killed as she walked home from school three days before her 18th birthday. After her family were assured Dembovskis could never be released, he now must spend the rest of his life in British custody. At his trial in March 2006, it emerged that the Russian-speaking car wash worker had been allowed into the UK despite being a convicted sex attacker in his native Latvia. He had previously been convicted in his homeland in 1990 and 1999 for raping two women at knifepoint. Dembovskis was given three life sentences and told he would never be released after being convicted at the Old Bailey of murdering Jeshma on May 16th 2005. MailOnline has been told by the Ministry of Justice the killer was considered for repatriation to Latvia but the move was shelved as it was feared he could be freed. Dembovskis has a nominal parole date of March 2099 as he is on a rare whole-life tariff. However, under the Latvian criminal justice system, this could not be enforced. It means that Dembovskis, 62, has to be kept in the UK until he dies. On average a prison place costs £54,000 a year, but maximum security inmates cost far more. The average age for a UK male to live is 82 and a half years, which the killer will reach in 2045 - meaning, if he lives until then, the cost to the taxpayer would be more than £2.1million across 39 years. The 2015 ruling was made under the Tory government led by Prime Minister David Cameron and despite the UK leaving the European Union in 2016, the impasse between the UK Criminal Justice System and Latvia remains the same. The case highlights some of the problems of deporting convicted foreign prisoners and comes in the wake of a pledge by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood to speed up deportations. She introduced new legislation on June 25 to change the Early Removal Scheme with the promise of 'swifter deportation to ease capacity crisis and stop wasting taxpayers' money and foreign prisoners to be 'eligible for deportation earlier into their prison sentence'. She said: 'With prisons close to bursting, I'm clear we shouldn't be giving bed and board to foreign criminals with no right to be here. 'These changes will get more of them on planes out of the country much sooner, saving taxpayers' money and keeping our streets safe as part of our Plan for Change.' The deportation of Dembovskis was considered under the Prisoner Transfer Agreement, which is used alongside the ERS to deport prisoners. In the case of the PTA, it can only be enforced if the prisoner and host country agree. However, the Home Office concluded that it was not right to apply for a transfer under PTA rules, as Dembovskis might choose to be deported in the knowledge he could be released in Latvia. A source with knowledge of the case said: 'It seems common sense to ensure that the UK's most dangerous foreign prisoners serve all of their sentence in the UK, rather than take the lottery of being transferred to their home countries. 'It would cause considerable anger if Dembovskis was freed in Latvia, especially for the parents of the victim. 'However, that has to be balanced against the cost to the State of keeping him locked up in the UK. In this case, it was considered better to ensure he remained behind bars.' Jurors heard Dembovskis lay in wait for Jeshma, choosing a 'den' in thick undergrowth where they would not be seen. She fought desperately to escape but he raped her twice before stabbing her through the heart and hiding her body in undergrowth, where it was discovered eight days later. After the murder, Dembovskis fled to his hometown of Livani, 90 miles south-east of the Latvian capital Riga. But he had dropped the keys to his bedsit, just streets from Jeshma's home in Greenford, beside her body. In his room, detectives found her bloodstained jewellery in his jacket, and established that four days after the murder he had bought a one-way coach ticket to Latvia, where they found him with the help of local police on June 2 2005. It was only then that detectives discovered he had served two jail sentences for rapes in Latvia. In 1990 he stalked a kindergarten teacher and dragged her along a riverbank at knifepoint before attacking her, and in 1997 he raped another woman. He was extradited to Britain to stand trial, and the jury, who were told of his violent history at the start of the two-week case, convicted him unanimously after two hours' deliberation. The case caused a national outcry and his victim's parents demanded to know why he was allowed into Britain despite being a convicted sex attacker. In a statement released outside the court, Jeshma's parents Suresh and Manjula Raithatha said: 'The man who took Jeshma's life in this senseless manner has a violent past. He spent time in prison in his own country for the rape of two women. Yet he was easily allowed in this country. 'We have to ask how and why this came about. What checks were made about his background before he was allowed to set foot on British soil? Although the family is relieved that justice has been done, our loss is for ever, this man's actions cannot be undone. Sentencing Dembovskis, Judge Beaumont told him: 'You have not displayed one jot of remorse for the appalling crimes you committed against that girl or the consequences to her family. 'You have twisted, lied and cast about for any excuse you could think of to avoid your responsibility for the abduction of a 17-year-old girl as she made her way home in broad daylight.' Det Insp John Crossley, the investigating officer at the time, paid tribute to the family's bravery and dignity. He added: 'Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Dembovskis has fought the case all the way putting the family through the trauma of a trial.' A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: 'Since July 2024, we've removed 3,590 foreign offenders – a 16 per cent increase on the same period last year – and we're going even further to speed up removals. 'However, it is vital that foreign offenders who commit the most serious crimes face justice - either in the UK or, where appropriate, in their home country.' The murder of Jeshma shattered her family and four-years later, her tormented younger sister Nishma Raithatha, 15, who is said never to have come to terms with the killing, leapt to her death from the top of a car park.
BBC News
06-07-2025
- BBC News
Hopes TV show about Peterborough rapist will identify more victims
A detective who helped convict a serial rapist said she believed "there are likely more victims out there" and urged them to come Ch Insp Helen Tebbit made her comments in relation to a TV documentary - 24 Hours In Police Custody - which features the case of Peterborough rapist Craig was jailed for more than 10 years in March 2025 after admitting rape and filming victims without their two-part edition of the Channel 4 programme, titled The Nightclub Predator, is being broadcast on Sunday and Monday. An investigation into France, 34, began when a young woman contacted police in August 2024 to say she had been a search of France's home, officers found several hidden cameras that had captured more than 6,000 disturbing images and other victims were then told that unbeknown to them they also had been to the amount of footage and the nature of France's offending, officers have said it was possible there were more victims yet to be identified. Speaking to the BBC, Det Ch Insp Tebbit said: "I don't think we will ever fully understand how many victims there are of Craig France. But I do think that there are likely more victims out there."The first woman who contacted police had been abused several years previously, said the detective, and she urged any victims to contact the police."I hope that anyone watching the programme sees that we have a team of specially trained officers who who will work tirelessly to ensure we do the very best for victims of serious sexual violence and hopefully that comes across," she said. The TV programme tells the inside story of the investigation into France who police believed has preyed on dozens of women. The control room is seen receiving a distressing 999 call from a young woman who believed she was raped two years previously. The suspect, Craig France, is not known to the police but has a reputation across Peterborough's nightclub scene, and for the notorious hot-tub afterparties he has hosted at his Ford, executive producer of 24 Hours in Police Custody, said: "This is a really disturbing case, but a really important one. "It throws a kind of really sharp light on one how difficult it can be to prosecute rapes and how impressive the Cambridgeshire rape investigation team are. "In a world where we all know that rape prosecutions have crashed, and nationally, it's eally good to see them taking very, very seriously this important case." 'Shocking case' Mr Ford believed the investigation also revealed more about misogyny in society and "the way men behave and what's acceptable in our culture"."There were people in his social group who actually saw videos of some of the things he did and didn't report it to the police," he said."So I think it's a really shocking case."There are possibly hundreds of women across Cambridgeshire who have come across this man and may well have been filmed against their permission without them knowing." Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
ABC News
26-06-2025
- ABC News
Serial rapist Warren John McCorriston spared more jail time for attempted cold case abduction
A serial rapist who attempted to abduct a teenage girl to rape her 45 years ago has avoided jail time. Warren John McCorriston pleaded guilty to trying to abduct the 17-year-old in 1980 near Newcastle after she got off a bus near her home. Newcastle District Court heard McCorriston "did by force detain [the woman] against her will with intent to carnally know her". The girl eventually broke free and hid in bushes in her neighbours' front yard before he drove off. During McCorriston's sentencing hearing on Thursday, the court heard the 64-year-old was a registered sex offender. He previously served eight-and-a-half years in jail for attacks on three women around the same area as the attempted abduction from 1979 to 1999. Judge Tim Gartelmann said he had to factor in time spent behind bars when considering the sentence for the offence. McCorriston was sentenced to two years and three months in jail, with a non-parole period of one year and three months. Due to time served, the judge granted an immediate release from the dock. On the night of the attempted abduction, the teenage victim had watched a film at a Newcastle cinema, the court heard. She caught a bus which dropped her about 600 metres from her home. As she walked home, a red hatchback pulled up in front of her and McCorriston got out of the car. He told the girl he was armed with a knife and she should get into his car. He told police he planned to force her into his car for sex. The victim didn't report the crime until 2023, after watching a program about another teenager who was abducted in Newcastle in the 1990s. She identified McCorriston from a black and white photo. McCorriston was convicted in 2021 of raping three women over two decades. The victims were as young as 17. At McCorriston's sentencing hearing, Judge Gartelmann said he needed to consider time served when handing down this sentence, and spoke about "the principle of totality". "The sentence he had been serving was imposed for several offences," the judge said. "Sentences for those offences were effectively partly concurrent and partly cumulative. McCoriston's non-parole period for after his term for attacking his three other victims ended last year. Despite this, the court heard he stayed an extra 200 days in prison before he was released in February this year. The judge said he had shown remorse and his dysfunctional childhood lessened his moral culpability. He will be subject to further supervision while on parole until February next year.
News24
23-06-2025
- News24
Serial rapist gets 25 more years after victim spots him in hospital
Zakhele Mahlangu tied his victim with a seatbelt, forcibly removed her clothing and raped her multiple times without protection. The case had gone cold until the victim spotted her attacker under heavy prison guard escort at a local hospital and raised the alarm. He was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 2016 rape. A convicted serial rapist already serving multiple sentences has been found guilty of yet another rape after one of his victims recognised him during a routine hospital visit and alerted the police. THE 2016 ATTACK On that fateful Saturday afternoon in May 2016, the victim, then 21 years old, was on her way to a hitchhiking spot along Secunda Road (R546) near Charl Cilliers in Standerton, Mpumalanga, provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane explained in a statement. According to Ndubane, at approximately 2pm, before reaching her destination, she accepted a lift from Zakhele Isaac Mahlangu (44), who was driving a white vehicle and claimed he was headed in the same direction. While en route, he diverted from the main road, claiming he needed to pick up others from a nearby farm. He turned onto a gravel road near a dumping site, crossed a railway line and stopped the vehicle. It is alleged that he moved to the passenger seat, used a hat to cover the victim's nose, and physically assaulted her. The suspect then tied her with a seatbelt, forcibly removed her clothing and raped her multiple times without protection, despite her resistance and cries for help. Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane After the attack, Mahlangu wiped himself and the victim with an old cloth, removed the vehicle's registration plates, and hid them under the driver's seat. He then threw the victim's belongings out of the vehicle and dumped her in an isolated area. The victim managed to contact emergency services and was referred to Standerton Police Station for investigation and medical examination. THE COLD CASE BREAKTHROUGH The case went cold until late last year when the victim encountered Mahlangu under heavy prison guard escort at a local hospital. She immediately recognised him and reported to the police that he was the man who had attacked her. Ndubane said: In a dramatic twist, the victim, who had not seen her attacker since the incident, recognised him years later while he was under the escort of prison wardens at a local hospital. She further explained that the police swiftly investigated the matter, and the suspect was positively linked to the crime, formally charged and brought to trial. SENTENCING On 20 June 2025, the Standerton Magistrates' Court sentenced him to 25 years' imprisonment for the 2016 rape. This sentence will run concurrently with multiple other terms he is already serving for a string of violent crimes. PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS In August 2021, the same offender was convicted and handed down multiple sentences for a series of crimes committed during his reign of terror in Standerton between 2014 and 2017. Rape Convictions: Three counts: Life imprisonment each Five counts: 15 years each One count: 25 years The acting provincial police commissioner, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, has welcomed the conviction and the recent sentencing of the serial rapist.
Daily Mail
22-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Serial rapist who attacked young mothers as their babies lay beside them and served time alongside Ian Huntley in Monster Mansion is found dead in jail
A serial rapist who served time alongside Ian Huntley in Monster Mansion has been found dead in jail. Ronald Cole had been in prison from the age of 29 following his last horrific crime - where he raped a 25-year-old woman as her baby son lay in bed beside her. His cruel offence came just 36 hours after he was paroled from prison for a carbon copy horror - when he raped a 24-year-old while her 13-month-old was in the cot beside them. Cole died on May 27 aged 74, 45 years after being sentenced to a minimum of 14 years. The investigation into his death is still in progress. Before being transferred to HMP Full Sutton, where he died, Cole spent time inside Britain's most notorious jail in Wakefield. Known as Monster Mansion, the feared prison has held the likes of The Angel of Death Harold Shipman, with nearly two thirds of its 750 lags incarcerated for the most serious sex offences. When Cole was an inmate, he shared the jail with double child killer Ian Huntley, 'Hannibal the Cannibal' Robert Maudsley and hardman Charles Bronson. Cole attacked his second victim shortly after being released from serving four years of a six year sentence for rape. When Cole was an inmate, he shared the jail with double child killer Ian Huntley (left) and hardman Charles Bronson (right) Monster Mansion in Wakefield has held the likes of The Angel of Death Harold Shipman (left), who left before Cole, and 'Hannibal the Cannibal' Robert Maudsley (right) He travelled back to his hometown of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, to hunt for his next victim, following a woman home from a nightclub. But when he broke into the house he went into the wrong bedroom, and confronted another woman with her 20-month-old son. The savage rapist warned his victim that if she made a sound 'I will kill your baby'. The woman who was followed home by Cole had seen him peering through a window at her and was later able to pick him out of an identity parade. He received his previous sentence for attacking a 24-year-old woman while her husband was at work for a night shift. During the attack, in which he was armed with a knife, her 13-month-old child was in the cot next to the bed. Cops caught Cole because he left his palm print on the bedroom door after both attacks. He was arrested within hours of his second offence. During his sentencing remarks 45 years ago, Mr Justice Brown said: 'I regard you as a dangerous man and the women of this country must be protected from you, especially in their own homes.' Cole denied both attacks in court and claimed police had 'set him up' and planted the fingerprint evidence. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'Ronald Cole died at HMP Full Sutton on May 27 2025. As with all deaths in custody, the Prison and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.'
