JOSHUA VICTORIN SENTENCED TO LIFE IN LONDON FOR SERIAL SEX OFFENSES
A sex offender responsible for attacking six women alone in London has received a life sentence.Twenty-five-year-old Joshua Victorin approached his victims from behind, with four assaults occurring within just four hours.
The crimes took place between December 23 and January 4, shortly after his release from prison, where he had been serving time for three previous sex attacks and other offenses.
At Inner London Crown Court, Justice articulated that Victorin must serve a minimum of eight years and eight months behind bars.
Victorin admitted to two counts of attempted rape and four charges of sexual assault.
Victorin, residing in a probation hostel in Walworth, disguised himself wearing dark clothing, a hooded top, and a face mask to carry out his assaults across south London.
Prosecutor Claire Harden-Frost described the attacks, stating, "These offences can be seen as part of a campaign to rape and sexually assault women walking alone in the streets of London.
This, frankly, is most people's nightmare in this situation." His first attack occurred on the evening of December 23, when he followed a woman exiting a bus in Peckham.
He pulled down her jogging bottoms, causing her to fall to the ground, but fled after her screams attracted a passer-by.
On New Year’s Eve, Victorin attempted to rape a second woman in Elephant and Castle by pulling down her trousers and dragging her by her ankles to a doorway of a London South Bank University building.
He was interrupted by a security guard who heard the woman's hysterical screams.
On January 4, between 11:00 and 14:15 GMT, Victorin carried out four similar sexual assaults on separate women.
One victim described how he was "panting" as he grabbed her hips, while another was so distressed she was "hyperventilating" during the assault.
Investigations linked Victorin to the attacks after detectives suspected he might have been subject to a curfew based on the timing of the offenses, leading to his identification at his hostel.
Victorin has a lengthy criminal history, with seven previous convictions involving 14 offenses dating back to 2014.
While serving a sentence for unlawful wounding and possession of an offensive weapon, he sexually assaulted two prison guards and was jailed for a year.
He also sexually assaulted a female police officer in March of the previous year.
He was released halfway through his current sentence in August but was recalled to prison after being charged with possessing cannabis and outraging public decency by engaging in consensual sex in a park in front of bystanders, including children.
He was subsequently released under license in December.
Defence solicitor Stephen Akinsanya indicated that Victorin shows a "genuine" indication of remorse.
Metropolitan Police Detective Sergeant Chloe Angrisana emphasized the possibility of additional victims, urging anyone who may have been assaulted by him to come forward, stating, "It is possible that there might be other women who were assaulted by him, and I would urge them to contact us."
