A 41-year-old man from Eltham has been convicted at the Old Bailey after a woman was attacked as she walked to work in Catford earlier this year.
Melbourne Thompson was found guilty of rape and robbery on October 9 at the Central Criminal Court in London. He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced at the same court on December 4.
The woman was attacked in the Catford area in the early hours of April 12. Police were called at around 6.55am after she boarded a bus on Brownhill Road and told the driver what had happened.
She has been supported at a specialist Haven sexual assault referral centre and continues to be supported by specialist officers. Haven centres provide medical care and support for people who have experienced serious sexual offences, and officers say support continues throughout an investigation and any court case.
Detectives tracked her stolen mobile phone to an area about a 30-minute walk from where the attack happened and only a few minutes from Thompson’s home. A police officer responsible for monitoring registered sex offenders, who had previously monitored Thompson, identified him from CCTV images.
Thompson, of Hengist Road, Eltham, was arrested on April 28 and charged the following day. The case then went before a jury at the Old Bailey, which heard evidence from the investigation before returning guilty verdicts on both counts.
He is a registered sex offender after a conviction for indecent assault in 2005 relating to an offence against a woman two years earlier. Registered sex offenders are monitored by dedicated officers, and that monitoring formed part of how Thompson was identified during this investigation.
The detective who led the investigation praised the woman for reporting what happened and said officers are working to tackle violence against women and girls, with survivors supported by specialist officers throughout investigations. He described Thompson as a dangerous offender who had targeted a lone woman walking to work early on a Sunday morning, and said he was pleased the jury rejected his claim that he was not responsible.
Police say the force remains committed to investigating all reports of rape and serious sexual offences, and that anyone who comes forward will be treated with dignity, compassion and sensitivity at every stage.
Thompson now remains in custody while reports are prepared ahead of sentencing. A judge at the Old Bailey will decide the length of his sentence on December 4, when the court will consider the full circumstances of the case, the sentencing guidelines that apply, and the impact of the offences.
The conviction underlines the work under way across south-east London to bring offenders before the courts. In a separate case, two men were jailed for a combined 55 years over a shooting outside a nightclub in Bexleyheath, while police continue to appeal for information after an assault on a Southeastern train service from Charing Cross.
An Abbey Wood man has also been jailed this year over his leading role in an online animal cruelty network, in another case that ended with a prison sentence after a court hearing.
Catford sits in the borough of Lewisham, where officers say victim-led investigations and specialist support remain central to tackling violence against women and girls. London Streets will report the outcome of the sentencing hearing when Thompson returns to the Old Bailey on December 4.
At sentencing, the judge will set out the facts of the case in open court before passing sentence. A victim personal statement, if one is made, can also be read to explain the effect of the offences. The court will consider all relevant factors before announcing the punishment.
