Sunny Islam, who was convicted of raping women and a teenage girl to 'teach them a lesson' for being out late at night, could be released from prison next month. Islam received an indefinite prison sentence in 2012 for a three-month period of attacks in 2010.
A parole hearing is scheduled, and despite an application from one of his victims for it to be held in public, the hearing will not be public. The denial of the public hearing was based in part on Islam's claims of increased anxiety, including sleep disturbances, upon learning of the possibility of facing the public. His solicitor stated that these difficulties could have a destabilizing effect and that he was seeking medical advice.
No medical documentation was provided to support these claims, but Islam's legal representative asserted that his current health issues could impact his ability to provide testimony if the hearing were public. His Honour Jeremy Roberts KC, on behalf of the Parole Board Chair, denied the victim's application, citing that the offenses were "of a particularly repugnant type" and that the atmosphere of a public hearing would likely be hostile. Roberts acknowledged the prisoner's reported increase in anxiety and noted that discussions of the offenses in public could be "very difficult for the prisoner."
Islam, who was 21 at the time of the attacks, was sentenced to a minimum of 11 years. With time already served, his minimum term expired in 2021. He was apprehended after kidnapping and raping a 15-year-old girl in September 2010. He had approached her from behind as she walked with a friend, bundled her into his car at knifepoint, and drove her to a secluded location where he assaulted her twice. At the time, the victim stated she had claimed to be only 11 years old. The sentencing judge, Patricia Lees, noted Islam's statement that he was going to "teach her a lesson," and similar statements made to other victims, describing it as a "chilling indictment" of his attitude towards women out at night.
Islam's DNA linked him to three other attacks near his home in Barking, east London. At Woolwich Crown Court, it was heard that on July 8, 2010, he subjected a 20-year-old sex worker to what was described as 'his trademark double rape,' tying her up, punching her repeatedly when she fought back, and stealing her wallet. A week later, he dragged a 28-year-old woman into his car in Forest Gate, forcing her to commit a sex act. She escaped by kicking out a car window and flagging down a passing vehicle as Islam strangled her.
His fourth victim, a 31-year-old woman attacked in September, did not come forward until police found her blood in the car, along with a knife and plastic ties used in the attacks. She was repeatedly punched, tied up, and raped twice. Islam was convicted of seven charges of rape, one sexual assault, and one kidnap.
In a victim impact statement at the time of sentencing, the teenage victim described ongoing flashbacks and the feeling of reliving the assault. Judge Lees stated that the harm done was incalculable and that Islam represented an "extreme and continuing danger to women, particularly those out at night."
The victim who applied for the public hearing stated that Islam had harmed other members of the public to "teach them a lesson" and that it was in the public's interest to know how the justice system was handling the case. The decision to hold the hearing in private was also made, in part, due to the potential distress it could cause to the victims, whose views on a public hearing were unknown. The applicant may still apply for permission to attend the private hearing or to see a summary of the panel's decision.