Bruke Desalagne, a 33-year-old Eritrean national, has been pictured for the first time following his conviction for raping a pensioner outside St John's church in Harrow, north London. The attack occurred around midnight on July 23 last year.
Desalagne dragged the victim, who was heavily intoxicated and cannot be named for legal reasons, from a park bench and took him behind a hoarding. The assault continued for approximately 20 minutes before a witness observed the incident from her window and alerted the police.
CCTV footage captured cars and a double-decker bus passing the location during the assault. When police arrived, they found Desalagne standing behind the church sign with the victim lying nearby.
During an interview with police, Desalagne, who used an interpreter during his trial, claimed he was trying to help the victim. However, after being shown the council camera footage, he stopped the interview, consulted with his solicitor, and refused to cooperate further or testify.
Prosecutor Simon Shannon told Harrow Crown Court that the footage clearly showed Desalagne dragging the intoxicated victim from the bench to the grass area. He also noted that the footage indicated Desalagne paused the attack when members of the public walked past.
Desalagne remained emotionless throughout the trial. His defense counsel, Bibi Ihuomah, argued that there was no definitive evidence of rape and urged jurors to avoid a premature judgment.
Detective Constable Luke Revill described Desalagne as a "dangerous offender" who targeted a "defenceless, vulnerable, elderly man." He commended the public's actions in alerting the police, which led to Desalagne's arrest at the scene. Revill stated that the police are committed to bringing such offenders to justice and encouraged any victims of similar offenses to come forward, assuring them of support from officers.