KHALED ARGOUB SENTENCED TO 22 YEARS IN JAIL IN LONDON FOR SERIOUS SEXUAL OFFENSES
A 21-year-old man named Khaled Argoub has been sentenced to 22 years in prison after being convicted of multiple sexual offences, including attempted rape, choking with intent, assault by penetration, and three counts of sexual assault.Argoub attempted to shift blame for his crime onto an imaginary twin brother, claiming he did not remember where he was on the night of the attack.
The incident occurred in Colliers Wood, south-west London, when the victim, a woman in her 20s who cannot be named for legal reasons, was walking home after a night out with friends.
CCTV footage presented during the trial showed Argoub following her from the tube station, walking behind her on Colliers Wood High Street before entering a residential street around 3 am.
At one point, the victim saw Argoub standing in the middle of the road, smirking at her.
Without warning, Argoub ran toward her, grabbed her from behind with his arm around her neck, and began choking her.
He then attempted to sexually assault her, biting his hand as it covered her mouth, which allowed her to escape and run to nearby flats.
She was subsequently taken to hospital, where she was found to have cuts, scratches, reddening to her neck, a hoarse voice from strangulation, and difficulty speaking.
A police search with helicopter and dog support was conducted, but initial efforts failed to locate the suspect.
However, officers found a baseball cap with a 'B' logo at the scene.
CCTV images later showed a man wearing this cap, who was identified as Argoub, re-entering Tooting Broadway station approximately twelve minutes after the attack, but without the cap.
A partial DNA profile matching Argoub was obtained from a nail clipping taken from the victim.
Argoub was arrested at 12:45 am on August 24 and charged the same day.
During police interviews, he claimed the attack was perpetrated by his imaginary twin brother.
Prosecutor Charlotte Newell explained, ‘He claimed to have a twin but did not know when he had last seen or contacted him,’ noting contradictions in his statements about his family.
Argoub also said he avoided traveling around London by following people because he described himself as an animal, and he suggested his brother might be involved, while claiming he couldn’t remember his whereabouts on the night of August 10.
Despite CCTV evidence of his presence in the area, Argoub denied being the attacker.
Detective Constable Faye Castleman, leading the investigation, expressed her satisfaction at the conviction, stating, ‘On behalf of the victim and her family, I am pleased that justice has been served and I hope that this sentence can bring some closure for them.’ She praised the victim’s bravery and highlighted the importance of forensic evidence in solving such cases.
Argoub was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on September 17.
He received an extended sentence of 22 years for attempted rape, with additional sentences of nine and ten years to run concurrently.
Of those 22 years, 14 will be served in custody, and he will be eligible for parole after serving two-thirds of that time.
