A rapist who preyed on a drunken woman as she celebrated her anniversary with champagne and cocaine has been jailed for five and a half years today.

The Welsh victim, in her early twenties, had been on binge in central London with her boyfriend to mark their first twelve months together.

But she became separated from him after a row and fell into the clutches of Michael Wilson, 31, from Grange Road, Plaistow as she staggered around the streets.

Wilson was literally caught with his trousers down as police arrested him in the back of a car with the naked victim.

Although he said she consented, he was convicted of rape last year.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told Snaresbrook Crown Court she couldn’t even remember that she was in London.

Police recovered further CCTV footage which showed her being followed by two men on Leytonstone High Street at 1.13am on April 11 2013.

Officers stopped an ‘erratically moving’ vehicle in Stepney and found Wilson and Ahmed Qaras, 26, from Shrewsbury Road, Forest Gate trying to swap places in the car.

Jailing Wilson for five and a half years Judge Sarah Paneth said: “In short she (the victim) submitted to you and you ignored the blindingly obvious that she was intoxicated to the point of not being able to consent.

“You wanted to have casual sex with someone and you turned a blind eye to her being intoxicated.”

Qaras was cleared of aiding and abetting rape. He admitted driving above the alcohol limit and driving while disqualified. He was sentenced to seven months in jail.