Three men sentenced to 34.5 years in prison after girl, 13, was raped | UK | News

Three men have been convicted of the horrific rape of a 13-year-old girl they lured off the street.

On Friday, October 11, Paul Maxwell, 24, of Wood Lane Estates, Notting Hill, was sentenced to 12 and a half years.

Kayon Bhola, 29, of no fixed address, and Jeremiah Jackson, 24, of Longford Court, Notting Hill, were both jailed for 11 years.

All three men were given a sexual harm prevention order for a period of 15 years.

It followed an in-depth investigation by specialist detectives from the Metropolitan Police.

The victim, aged 13, left her home address on September 30, 2023 and traveled to London where she met the three defendants at a tube station in Hammersmith.

They lured her back to Maxwell’s flat where she was raped by all three, while they sickeningly filmed their actions.

Detectives collected a combination of forensic evidence, CCTV and phone analysis. Working closely with specialists from the Rape and Serious Sexual Crimes Unit of CPS London, they built a case against the three defendants.

CCTV footage showed the group driving from the station to the flat. In-depth phone analysis also revealed a short video clip of the three men carrying out their attack. This evidence played an important role in the conviction of the three men.

Arrest footage released by the Met showed Maxwell saying: “These allegations are getting on my nerves.”

Detective Constable Will Murphy, who led the investigation, said: “Firstly, I would like to thank the victim for her continued support in this case and for her extreme courage in coming forward and reporting this to the police.

“This has been a challenging investigation. However, thanks to the dedicated efforts of my team, we were able to achieve convictions. I hope the victim feels like justice has been served.

“Today’s sentencing highlights how despicable this crime was and Maxwell, Bhola and Jackson will now face the consequences of their heinous actions. The Met is here to support victims of sexual violence and provide the best possible care. Don’t hesitate to come to us.”

The victim read out a victim impact statement, which read in part: ‘I went through the date a million times and thought about what I could have done differently to change the outcome of what happened to me.

“No matter what I changed, it would have ended the same way. This is because these three men, grown men, knew exactly what they were going to do as soon as they saw me at Hammersmith.

‘I was caught alone and vulnerable. But that shouldn’t have mattered.’

On July 22, all three defendants were found guilty of rape – with Maxwell convicted of an additional charge – following a three-week trial at Southwark Crown Court.

An Armed Forces spokesperson added: “New Met for London is improving the way we protect women and girls from violence, much of it at the hands of predatory and abusive men. We encourage victims to come forward and help us end this extreme violence – to report rape or sexual abuse.”

More information: https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rsa/rape-and-sexuality-assault/how-to-report-rape-and-sexuality-assault/.