Thursday, August 14, 2008

Rapist caged for hooker rampage

A RAPIST who targeted prostitutes shouted "but I paid them" as he was jailed indefinitely.

Mohammed Roble, 32, of Atkinson Road, Canning Town, who claimed he was inspired by violent porn films, gained his victims' trust before beating and raping them at knifepoint in a two-year spree. The IT expert, who preyed on at least four women in the Forest Gate area, was easily identifiable because part of his left ear had been bitten off in an attack.

It emerged that when his first victim initially reported being raped, a police woman would not take the complaint any further. "None of the officers was helpful because I'm a working girl,'' she said. And an un-named officer failed to retrieve CCTV footage from the scene and made errors when inputting Roble's description on to computer. Snaresbrook Crown Court judge Wendy Joseph, QC, described the blunders as "unfortunate". Roble was found guilty of seven rape charges relating to four women in their twenties and thirties. Three other women, who did not feature on the indictment, gave evidence claiming he assaulted them in the street.

Roble was ordered to serve at least seven years and nine months. Judge Joseph said: "I don't accept that they (the victims) are less violated because they are prostitutes. I commend the bravery of those girls in coming forward.'' Roble approached the first victim near Romford Road, Stratford, and led her to a flat in Rokeby Street. Roble, armed with a kitchen knife, told her to undress and raped her.

In a nine-hour ordeal, he slapped her and ordered her to stop sobbing, before raping her again. She later identified Roble and the prosecution went ahead.Roble subjected three other prostitutes to sex attacks. And he was said to have assaulted three others. Roble was convicted of seven counts of rape, one sex assault and two of false imprisonment between November 2005 and last September He was cleared of two theft charges.

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