Indian-origin man jailed for knife-point rape, robbery in UK

London An Indianorigin man who raped and robbed a woman at knifepoint in southeast England has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by a UK courtDiljeet Grewal was found guilty of rape sexual assault and aggravated burglary at Islewoth Crown Court and sentenced on Friday to 15 years behind bars with a further five years on licence to be monitored upon releaseThe court was told how the 28yearold met his victim a woman in her 30s for a prearranged meeting at her address in Hillingdon in April this year and upon entering produced a knife and threatened the woman causing her to fear for her life He went on to carry out a sustained attack which lasted for approximately twoandahalf hoursI welcome this sentencing and hope it gives the victim some measure of closure I would like to thank the victim for her bravery in supporting our investigation and identifying Grewal as her attacker said Detective Constable Mark Palmer who led the investigationI also hope it encourages any victims of sexual assault to come forward and trust that officers will treat crimes of this nature respectfully and seriously regardless of the circumstances he saidOnce he finished physically attacking the woman Grewal stole the womans phone and threatened her again this time demanding money She handed him cash from her handbag but he continued to ransack her room looking for more money before fleeing the buildingAfter Grewal left the woman was able to call a friend who was outside the UK who in turn contacted the police Officers attended the scene and upon arrival found Grewal lurking outside the address He matched the description of the suspect and when spoken to he identified himself and was detained immediately and taken to a west London police stationOfficers began searching the area around the building where Grewal was first seen A knife was recovered which he denied was his Forensic examination identified the weapon as the one used during the attackOfficers spoke to the woman who had a number of injuries and she also identified Grewal as her attacker She was supported by specially trained officers from the Metropolitan Polices West Area Safeguarding Team throughout the investigationDetectives from the Mets Hounslows Safeguarding Team launched an immediate investigation where forensics were analysed and CCTV footage was seized and Grewal was charged with rape and aggravated burglary on April 29 He was convicted of the charges in August and sentenced this weekCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates