DAVINDER SINGH SENTENCED TO 22 YEARS FOR RAPE IN BEDFORD AND BEYOND

In a significant case that has shocked the Bedford community, Davinder Singh, a 33-year-old man with no fixed address but known to be from the Bedford area, has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term of 22 years for a series of heinous sexual assaults. The conviction follows a trial at Luton Crown Court, where Singh was found guilty of raping two women and threatening their lives during the assaults.

Singh initially denied all charges brought against him, but the court's evidence and testimonies led to his conviction. The first of these assaults occurred in November 2010, when Singh attacked an 18-year-old woman twice. During this terrifying ordeal, he also threatened her with a knife, explicitly warning her and her friends that he would stab them if they dared to scream or resist. The attack took place in Bedford, with Singh targeting the young woman as she was walking down the side of some buildings, desperate for the toilet. Police reports indicate that Singh's brazen behavior during the attack prompted a thorough review of their files, which ultimately linked him to a similar assault on a 24-year-old woman two years earlier.

The earlier incident involved Singh carrying out a comparable rape on a woman on some wasteland, further establishing a pattern of predatory behavior. The police investigation into the 2010 attack revealed that the victim's distress call to emergency services lasted nearly an hour. Despite her pleas, Singh claimed that she had consented to sex, a statement that was challenged by the evidence and the circumstances of the attack.

During the sentencing hearing, Singh's behavior took a dramatic turn. When the court adjourned proceedings on a Friday, Singh, who had earlier dismissed his legal counsel by sacking his barrister, suddenly slashed his arm with a sharpened hairpin. He then left the dock to address the judge directly, insisting on his innocence and claiming that the trial had been unfair. In a further act of defiance, Singh slashed his arm again and pressed the sharpened hairpin to his neck, prompting immediate intervention from armed officers. The court was evacuated for safety reasons, and Singh was transported to hospital for treatment.

Judge Barbara Mensah, presiding over the case, refused to proceed with sentencing in Singh's absence, stating her desire for her remarks to resonate with him. On the following Monday, she announced that Singh would be required to serve a minimum of 11 years in prison before being eligible for parole. The judge emphasized the severity of Singh's crimes and the need for justice to be served.

In a statement to the BBC, police revealed that the 2010 victim was out with friends when she needed to use the toilet. Singh approached her, forcibly took her into a side alley, and threatened her and her friends with a knife, warning them not to scream. This attack, characterized by its audacity, prompted police to revisit their records, which led to the linking of Singh to an earlier rape in 2008 on wasteland. The victim of the 2010 assault, who chose to remain anonymous, spoke to the BBC, expressing her relief and encouraging other victims to come forward. She said, “You feel good in yourself because you know you’ve done something about it, you’ve got him off the streets. I think of him as my victim because I’ve put him away.”

Singh’s case has brought to light the dangers faced by women in Bedford and the importance of vigilant law enforcement in bringing such offenders to justice. His lengthy sentence aims to serve as a warning to others and to provide some measure of closure for the victims involved.