‘Violent and dangerous’ rapist who attacked teenager in West End receives 21-year sentence

A predatory rapist lured a vulnerable teenage girl away from her friends before attacking her in an alleyway close to Leicester Square.

Timothy King, formally of Kilburn, raped the 16-year-old girl after meeting her early in the morning in London’s busy tourist hotspot in the early hours of September 27, 2021.

A court heard how the sick 37-year-old raped another woman just 12 days later after locking her inside a property in Slough.

King, who attempted to evade police by changing his name and location frequently, was jailed for 21 years earlier this week after being convicted of the rapes.

Reading Crown Court heard how King was pictured on CCTV hanging around Leicester Square at around 5am before he met a group of teenage girls.

King approached one of the girls and led her away from her friends taking her to a secluded alleyway where the victim tried in vain to fight him off but could not stop his attack.

After the victim reported the assault police were able to identify King from CCTV images and speaking to witnesses who had spotted King that morning.

An investigation was immediately launched but despite the search King went on to rape another woman on October 9, 2021.

The court heard how King lured a woman, in her 20s, to an address in Slough and locked the front door from the inside before grabbing her by the neck and raping her.

Despite not allowing the woman to leave the property she managed to escape the next morning and find medical treatment.

The woman was offered £10,000 by King over the phone once he discovered the rape had been reported to police.

Metropolitan Police (Met) alongside Thames Valley police tracked King down to a hideout in Tower Hamlets after his disappearance triggered a manhunt.

DC Emma Colston, of Thames Valley’s Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit, said: “His actions have shown him to be a violent and dangerous man and he will now spend time in prison. I’d like to thank the victim for her bravery in coming forward.”

DS Sophie McLoughlin, of 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.”

King was convicted of three counts of rape and one count each of false imprisonment, assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) and perverting the course of justice on 1 August this year.

He was sentenced to 21 years’ imprisonment with a seven-year extended license.