A student who abducted a grandmother just yards away from Piccadilly Circus and subjected her to a horrifying 12-minute rape ordeal has been jailed for 12 years.
Shakur Valentino, 22, was caught on camera chasing after the woman, a cleaner in her 60s, as she walked along Haymarket, dragging her into a side street where he carried out the brutal attack.
Southwark crown court heard Valentino had been out watching the Superbowl with friends but spent the early hours of February 4 hassling women in the street.
He fled when caught red-handed standing over the traumatised and half-naked victim, and was eventually captured following a chase that ended outside the National Gallery.
Valentino pleaded guilty to charges of kidnap, rape and sexual assault, but insisted that he had no memory of the incident which he blamed on drinking too much.
“He still can’t believe he did it. He wasn’t brought up that way”, said defence barrister Thomas Davidson “He is as shocked as everyone else when he sees the CCTV and he can’t believe that’s him.”
Sentencing Valentino to 12 years in prison with an extra five years on licence, Judge Martin Beddoe told him: “This is one of the worst stranger rapes it has been my misfortune to deal with.”
He said Valentino raped the woman when she refused have sex with him, adding: “you have ruined her life, not a day is likely to go by that she is not reminded in some way of what you did to her.”
Daniel Geller, from the CPS, said all stages of the attack were caught on damning CCTV, showing “a violent sexual attack by a stranger who chose to prey on a lone woman.
“I hope this sentence provides her with some comfort.”
The court heard the victim, who cannot be named, has been forced to give up work and struggles to tell anyone about her ordeal.
“He has ruined my life”, she said of Valentino. “I don’t want anyone to have to go through what I’ve gone through. The streets will never be safe if someone like him walks on them.”
She said Valentino grabbed her round the neck during the prolonged attack and she “thought I was going to die”.
Prosecutor Grace Ong said the woman was walking through Piccadilly and along Haymarket at around 3.40am when Valentino started to jog after her, grabbing hold of her until she fell to the ground.
She said a CCTV camera at St James’s Market showed Valentino “half carrying, half dragging the victim down a side street. He dragged her to the end of the street and pushed her against a wall”.
Valentino pulled the woman’s clothes off as she struggled, but was interrupted by a homeless man, Christopher Fox, who realised what was happening and went get help.
“He realised she was being raped and ran to Haymarket shouting for help, but everyone he stopped ignored him”, said Ms Ong.
“Eventually he forcibly grabbed a male and begged him to call the police.”
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Valentino standing over the woman before he turned and fled. Once captured, he claimed the victim was a prostitute who had offered him sex for £20.
But faced with overwhelming evidence Valentino pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, kidnapping and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The judge awarded £500 and a commendation to Mr Fox for his heroic efforts. Valentino will not be eligible for release until he has served at least eight years of his sentence.