A Southwark man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for two counts of rape following an attack in June 2024, writes Melina Block…
Rashane Lee, of Old Kent Road, was on the registered sexual offender list at the time of his arrest. He pleaded guilty to breaking its conditions, but denied the new charge of raping a woman in June last year, less than two years after being released from prison.
The court heard that the 26-year-old had been convicted of rape in 2016 in circumstances that were almost identical to the incident in June.
On 1 June 2024 the victim had been out for the day in Central London with her sister and friends, but as she made her way home shortly after 11pm she was approached by Lee.
He began to talk to her and offered to accompany her home as they lived, he claimed, in a similar direction. She attempted to dissuade him however he persisted, before taking her to a secluded area and raping her.
After reporting the incident to the police, officers searched through CCTV footage in an attempt to track the suspect and forensic analysis found a match for Rashane Lee, with a probability of one billion to one.
Following this, Lee was quickly found by officers at his partner’s home address and arrested on 11 June 2024.
Despite the weight of DNA evidence, in interview, Lee strongly denied the allegation of rape. He claimed that samples were faulty or contaminated in the lab and that he had never met the victim. Lee also claimed that his DNA must have changed.
He was charged the following day and found guilty on 23 December last year at Inner London Crown Court, after less than two hours of deliberation.
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As well as receiving a 13-year custodial sentence, Lee will also see his licence extended by seven years.
Detective Constable Jack Woods, leader of the investigation, said: “This verdict is testament to the bravery of the victim whose evidence helped us secure this conviction.
“Despite farcical claims by Lee that the DNA secured was either contaminated or simply not his, the jury saw through this, and this resulted in today’s lengthy sentence.
“Lee is an extremely dangerous individual who deliberately targeted a lone woman and hoped that because she had had a few drinks she would be too confused to come forward to police.
“This was not the case and despite his arrogance, there was no doubt to his guilt.
“We hope that this result demonstrates that no matter the circumstances, we will always take victim-survivors accounts extremely seriously, and do all we can to ensure that predators, like Lee, are taken off the streets.”
Now, here’s an idea for Convicted Rapist’s.
If found guilty on Solid, proven beyond dispute, Evidence, the Sentence should run: “Conviction … Sentence … castration … Imprisonment”; that should deter at least a few.
And, if the Crime infects the Victim with a disease, Plus 10years.
And, if that disease is serious, possibly Life-Threatening, a charge of Attempted/Actual Murder.
Time, Over Time, To Take All Crime Seriously.