Three men convicted of raping 13-year-old

Three men have been convicted of the rape of a 13-year-old girl following an in-depth investigation by specialist Met detectives.

On Friday, October 11, Paul Maxwell, 24 (03.12.99) of Wood Lane Estates, W12, was sentenced to 12 and a half years.

Kayon Bhola, 29 (28.10.1994) of no fixed address, and Jeremiah Jackson 24, (8.11.99) of Longford Court, W12 were both jailed for 11 years.

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

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.

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.

Detective Inspector 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 was a challenging investigation, but thanks to the dedicated efforts of my team, we were able to secure convictions. I hope the victim feels like justice has been served.

“Today’s sentencing underlines 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 a victim impact statement, which included:

“I’ve gone over the date a million times, thinking 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 just caught and left 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.

A New Met for London will improve 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 put an end to this extreme violence. To report rape or sexual abuse, read more: https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rsa/rape-and-sexual assault/how-rape-and-sexual assault-report /.