Two men sentenced following rape in Waltham Forest
Eloi Sesay, 32 (13.02.90) of Wood Street, E17 appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday, 23 May where he was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment for rape. He had previously been convicted at the same court on Friday, 6 May.
At the same hearing, Olamide Oluwajana, 33 (1.04.89) of Penn Gardens, Romford was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment (suspended). He had previously been convicted at the same court on Friday, 6 May.
On 21 September 2019, the victim, a 23-year-old woman, had agreed to attend a gathering in Walthamstow with a 25-year-old man she had been communicating with online for four to five months.
The man picked her up as arranged and drove her to an address.
When they arrived at the address the woman was in the company of the man who had driven her, Sesay and Oluwajana.
When she asked about the ‘gathering’ she thought she was going to be attending she was told that others would be arriving later on.
During the course of the evening the woman entered a bedroom at the property and had consensual sex with the man she had met online.
Sesay entered the bedroom and when the woman’s online acquaintance moved away, Sesay took his place on the bed and raped her.
Oluwajana also entered the room while the rape was taking place and sexually assaulted the woman.
In her struggle to escape the attack, the woman snapped one of her acrylic fingernails. She managed to get dressed and left the property on foot, going to Wood Street Station and from there to the home of a friend. She reported the rape on 22 September 2019.
An investigation was launched by specialist officers from the Met’s North East Command. During a search of the scene they found the victim’s fingernail that was broken off as she made her escape.
Officers also found a picture of the victim that was taken while the assaults were taking place.
Detective Sergeant Sarah Oyasodun, who led the investigation, said: “There was a clear trail of evidence, including a WhatsApp chat group that clearly showed an element of planning to get women to the address for sex.
“The victim, believing that she had formed a relationship with a man over a number of months, is now a survivor of a depraved and callous set-up that resulted in a terrifying assault.
“The bravery she showed in coming forward is commendable and I hope that the sentences handed down bring her a small measure of comfort and a sense that justice has been done.
“I would like to encourage anyone who has been a victim of a sexual crime to come forward and speak to police; they will be supported and their voice too can be heard.”
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