A man who raped a woman as she was walked home alone after a night out in Leytonstone with her friends, has been sent to prison for nine years.
Leon Rochester, 33 (04.10.86), of Woodhouse Road, E11, was found guilty of rape on Thursday, 1 October following a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
The court heard how on Sunday, 26 January, the victim was walking home along Leytonstone High Road when Rochester approached her and offered her a drink.
Rochester then walked with the victim to a secluded location off Kirkdale Road where he began touching her without her consent before carrying out the horrific attack.
During the attack, Rochester ignored repeated pleas from the victim for him to stop. The woman eventually managed to break free from Rochester before running away.
A member of the public found the victim in a distressed state and called 999. Officers rushed to the scene and immediately began to hunt for her attacker as well as offering the victim specialist support.
Specialist detectives carried out enquiries and found CCTV which placed Rochester at the location. They also spoke to a witness who heard the woman ask him to stop.
Rochester was arrested on Friday, 31 January at his home address and was subsequently charged with rape.
Detective Inspector Jeremy McDermott, of the North East Command Unit, said:
“I’d like to commend the victim for coming forward and telling us about her terrifying ordeal. Thanks to her bravery, both then and during the course of the investigation and trial, a dangerous offender has been taken off the streets.
“Although this sentence cannot make up for what she has gone through, I hope that the verdict and sentencing bring her some level of closure.
“I would also encourage all victims of both sexual assault and rape to come forward and contact police.
“We know that it is an incredibly difficult thing to do but we can provide you with appropriate help and support while carrying out an investigation to find those responsible.”
Before you go...
We need your help. As former emergency services & armed forces personnel, we pride ourselves on bringing you important, fast-moving and breaking news stories & videos which are free from the negative bias which is often directed at the emergency services & NHS by some sections of the mainstream media.
One of the reasons we started 'Emergency Services News' back in 2018 was because we became tired of reading badly informed stories about the emergency services & NHS which seemed only ever to highlight negative aspects of the job.
We want to be the unheard voice of the remarkable men and women who serve in the emergency services, NHS and armed forces. And with around 500k page views each month, we are getting there!
As income from ads, the mainstay source of income for most publishers, continues to decline; we need the help of you, our readers.
You can support emergency services news from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital for our future.
Please help us to continue to highlight the life-saving work of the emergency services, NHS and armed forces by becoming a supporter.
A proper sentence for an awful crime. This judge should sit on all rape trials, not some of these “snowflake” judges who think the woman brought it upon herself by wearing a short skirt or make up.