Stratford man jailed for raping Polish tourist

Mojtaba Changi from Walthamstow jailed for raping Polish tourist (Image: Archant)

Saeed Fatemi, 20, of Blackthorn Court, Hall Road, was convicted alongside Mojtaba Changi, 33, from Walthamstow, last Thursday.

The two men attacked the 18-year-old victim just eight hours after she arrived in the country last September.

She bumped into Fatemi, who offered to help her look for her friends, after she became separated from them during a night out in Kingston.

They walked around the town centre for about 45 minutes before he led her to into a park where they were followed unbeknownst to the victim - by Changi.

Once in the park, she was held down and raped by both men.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Ben Hawkins, of the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: “The evidence points strongly to this being a pre-meditated and aggressive assault on a young woman who had only arrived in the UK eight hours previously.

“She had come on a 10-day holiday to see friends and because of the events of that night, ended up spending most of her holiday with the police and medical services.”

Following the assault Fatemi walked the victim out of the park before telling her to run.

She immediately ran to Kingston Bridge and raised the alarm to a taxi driver.

DC Hawkins added: “She was deliberately targeted by Changi and Fatemi owing to her vulnerability at the time. So traumatised and confused by the assault is she, that even now she has not felt able to tell her parents and family back in Poland.

“She has shown remarkable bravery in flying back to the UK and giving evidence live in court and I am delighted that the trust she put in the Metropolitan Police to reach a successful conclusion for her has been justified.”

Both men were sentenced on Friday with Changi also receiving a 14 year jail sentence.