Man jailed for repeatedly raping woman in Tower Hamlets

A man from east London who repeatedly raped a woman has been jailed following a Met investigation.

Mohammed Abu Hurayra Anik, 24 (09.03.98), of Stepney, E1, was convicted at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Thursday, 26 January, after being found guilty of:

• Three counts of rape;
• One count of assault by penetration;
• One count of attempted rape;
• Three counts of actual bodily harm;
• Two counts of controlling or coercive behaviour;
• One counts of threatening to disclose private photographs of videos.

He was sentenced at the same court on Wednesday, 1 February, to 12 years’ imprisonment in total.

Detective Constable Charlotte Henderson, the investigating officer, said: “Anik is a controlling predator who subjected the victim, a woman who he knew, to repeated abuse and suffering over a period of five months.

“Like all sexual offenders he is also a coward. He tried to lie and manipulate his way out of trouble; claiming the bruises he had inflicted on the victim were due to a ‘skin condition’, denying sexual offences and blaming arguments on the victim, and attempting to use cultural shame and the release of private images of her in a bid to silence her.

“Her courage in reporting and persevering through the court process, despite the risks to her own mental and physical wellbeing, protects others from being targeted by Anik.”

The offences began in February 2022.

On one occasion on 15 July 2022 pair were walking together along the riverside of the Thames in Wapping when Anik launched an attack in which he punched her all over her body, tied her hands together and raped her.

This was the final straw for the victim, who had suffered an onslaught of rape and mental and physical abuse in which she was on occasion threatened with a knife. Anik would also track her phone and turn up unexpected and uninvited outside her workplace.

Anik was arrested by police on 22 July 2022. He was charged and remanded to prison the next day to await trial. A unanimous verdict was reached on all counts after a three week trial.

The Met takes allegations of sexual offences seriously and recognises the courage that it takes for victims to come forward. We need women to always report these crimes. You will be listened to and taken seriously. Your identity will be protected and specialist officers will support you right through the investigation.