Published:16:0018/07/2024
An African in Leicester who supplied a teenage girl with alcohol before raping her has been jailed for more than 10 years – thanks to the efforts of detectives and staff in the Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU).
When the rape of a 14-year-old girl was reported in July 2023, but with little information about the suspect or the location of the offence, a specialist team worked around-the-clock – carrying out vital enquiries to identify the person responsible.
Aluwas Razak was arrested after officers trawled through hours of CCTV footage to find the face of the suspect.
It was then, while out on enquiries to try and identify the man matching the CCTV images, one of the detectives working on the case spotted Razak in the street.
The 30-year-old of Stretton Road, Leicester, was charged the following day with two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against the teenager.
Following a trial at Leicester Crown Court in January he was found guilty of the three offences and, on Tuesday (16 July), sentenced to 11 years imprisonment and will be subject to a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He will also be placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register.
The crimes against the now 15-year-old girl on Saturday 15 July began to come to light a few days after the incident.
Initially the teenager had little recollection of what had happened, but by talking to specialist officers and other professionals, the full details of what had occurred were uncovered.
The girl told officers she had been approached and befriended by the then unknown man while walking through Leicester city centre on Saturday afternoon.
After buying her food and taking her to the cinema, he took the girl to an unidentified location close to the city and sexually assaulted her.
From the information provided, officers obtained CCTV footage from cameras across the city centre and completed the challenging task of searching through hours of recordings to piece together the movements of them both.
This work then led officers to identify the location of the offences as a guesthouse in the area of Hinckley Road, Leicester.
It was at this time that PSCOs working within CAIU also discovered CCTV footage of the same man withdrawing money from a nearby cash machine – later found to be the money used to pay for the room.
Further CCTV footage also showed the man buying vodka and other items from a nearby shop, shortly after 10pm on the same night.
With clear evidence of the two together, detectives worked to uncover the identity of the unknown perpetrator.
It was while carrying out further enquiries in the area of the guesthouse, on the evening of Tuesday 25 July, DC Sophie Bruce spotted what appeared to be the suspect turning into Stretton Road, Leicester, and entering an address.
After calling for additional support, the detective then entered the house and arrested Razak.
DC Bruce and others in the team then continued to work until the early hours of the following morning, carrying out the critical task of interviewing the suspect before the case was presented to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision.
Since charge, the officer in the case – DC Ranjit Sandhu, has worked tirelessly, with the assistance of Detective Sergeant Emma Kunne, to ensure the victim has continued to feel supported throughout the process while continuing to carry out enquiries and gather evidence ahead of the trial.
This vital work led to Razak being found guilty of all offences following a week-long trial.
Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Kevin Hames from the CAIU, said: “Razak approached a young girl who was on her own and after gaining her trust he abused that power to carry out the most horrific crimes.
“Throughout her ordeal the girl has shown incredible strengthen. It took extreme courage for her to share the details of what had occurred so that officers and staff could carry out a thorough investigation.
“In the days after the incident occurred, officers and staff worked above and beyond to ensure the man responsible for the offences was caught and the evidence was captured.
“Since then, DC Sandhu’s dedication to supporting the girl and her family ahead of the trial, as well as preparing the case for court has been exceptional.
“The case has truly been a team effort and is a shining example of the work that occurs every day in CAIU to safeguard children being abused and dealing with those who cause harm against them.”