Rufat Kasamaj, 36 of High Road, Leyton, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on
Wednesday, 26 October, to 10 years and six months in prison, with an
extended five years on licence.
Kasamaj was quickly identified and arrested after police tracked his
movements on CCTV and examined his Oyster card history to work out his
direction of travel.
Detective Inspector Claudine Davie said: “Kasamaj is clearly a dangerous
predator who carried out a horrific sexual assault on a young teenager who
he knew was in a vulnerable position.
“He subjected her to an ordeal which will stay with her for the rest of her
life and which has understandably had a huge impact on her mental health.
“She has shown real bravery in coming to court this week and reliving what
happened to her that evening. Similarly we must pay a huge thanks to the
member of the public who assisted her after the assault and helped her get
home to her family.”
On 4 September 2021, the victim was at a bar at Westfield in Stratford with
her friends when she became separated from the group.
She was approached by a man – later identified as Kasamaj – who said he
would help but instead steered her to a bench where he raped her.
He then made off and the victim spoke to a member of the public who called
her parents and explained what had happened. He travelled with the victim
to her home station where she was met by her father.
After reporting the incident to police, an investigation was immediately
launched by Safeguarding officers in Newham.
They quickly collected and reviewed CCTV, which had captured parts of the
incident.
It also showed that following the assault, the suspect made his way to
Stratford station where he tapped in to get through the barriers.
The Oyster card he used was unregistered however as the CCTV showed the
exact time he went through the barriers, police were able to get the
12-digit card number and analyse the suspect’s travel history.
This revealed that most evenings, the suspect would tap in at North
Greenwich station between 5pm and 5.30pm before tapping out at Leyton
station around 18 minutes later.
With this knowledge, officers travelled to Leyton station on 6 September.
Shortly before 17:30hrs, a man matching the description of the suspect
entered the station and was arrested. He was taken into custody where he
was charged.
Throughout the course of the investigation, officers provided the victim
with specialist support including a dedicated SOIT officer. She was also
referred to partner agencies and with officers visited the court prior to
the hearing in order to help her feel more comfortable giving evidence on
the day.
DI Davie added: “It is a top priority for the Met to target those
responsible for violence against women and girls and to stop them from
causing any further harm.
“I urge anyone who is a victim of rape or sexual assault to report it to
police. As this case demonstrates, we will treat your allegations seriously
and support you throughout the process while doing everything in our power
to bring offenders to justice.
Wednesday, 26 October, to 10 years and six months in prison, with an
extended five years on licence.
Kasamaj was quickly identified and arrested after police tracked his
movements on CCTV and examined his Oyster card history to work out his
direction of travel.
Detective Inspector Claudine Davie said: “Kasamaj is clearly a dangerous
predator who carried out a horrific sexual assault on a young teenager who
he knew was in a vulnerable position.
“He subjected her to an ordeal which will stay with her for the rest of her
life and which has understandably had a huge impact on her mental health.
“She has shown real bravery in coming to court this week and reliving what
happened to her that evening. Similarly we must pay a huge thanks to the
member of the public who assisted her after the assault and helped her get
home to her family.”
On 4 September 2021, the victim was at a bar at Westfield in Stratford with
her friends when she became separated from the group.
She was approached by a man – later identified as Kasamaj – who said he
would help but instead steered her to a bench where he raped her.
He then made off and the victim spoke to a member of the public who called
her parents and explained what had happened. He travelled with the victim
to her home station where she was met by her father.
After reporting the incident to police, an investigation was immediately
launched by Safeguarding officers in Newham.
They quickly collected and reviewed CCTV, which had captured parts of the
incident.
It also showed that following the assault, the suspect made his way to
Stratford station where he tapped in to get through the barriers.
The Oyster card he used was unregistered however as the CCTV showed the
exact time he went through the barriers, police were able to get the
12-digit card number and analyse the suspect’s travel history.
This revealed that most evenings, the suspect would tap in at North
Greenwich station between 5pm and 5.30pm before tapping out at Leyton
station around 18 minutes later.
With this knowledge, officers travelled to Leyton station on 6 September.
Shortly before 17:30hrs, a man matching the description of the suspect
entered the station and was arrested. He was taken into custody where he
was charged.
Throughout the course of the investigation, officers provided the victim
with specialist support including a dedicated SOIT officer. She was also
referred to partner agencies and with officers visited the court prior to
the hearing in order to help her feel more comfortable giving evidence on
the day.
DI Davie added: “It is a top priority for the Met to target those
responsible for violence against women and girls and to stop them from
causing any further harm.
“I urge anyone who is a victim of rape or sexual assault to report it to
police. As this case demonstrates, we will treat your allegations seriously
and support you throughout the process while doing everything in our power
to bring offenders to justice.
