A thorough investigation by the Met sexual offences team has seen a man who took advantage of a young woman after a night out in south-east London jailed.
Craig Dorney, 35, of Duncombe Hill, Lewisham, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court to seven years in prison on Thursday, 12 December for rape and two counts of sexual assault.
The court heard the 27-year-old victim-survivor had taken a taxi to Lewisham just before 02:00hrs on Saturday, 29 June, when she met Dorney, who was getting out of another cab.
After the two spoke, Dorney assaulted and raped her before she could get away to call police.
The victim-survivor managed to capture part of the assault on her phone, taking a video to record their conversation, which became a key part of the evidence in the case detectives built against Dorney.
Dorney was identified and arrested within 24 hours.
The investigation was led by specialist local officers who supported the victim-survivor to take her account of what happened.
The team worked tirelessly to build an investigation against Dorney by trawling through CCTV and gathering forensic and medical evidence, such as Dorney’s clothing, bedding and phone and taxi receipts.
Detectives also obtained key witness statements from friends, as well as the two taxi drivers who had driven the suspect and victim-survivor on the night of the assault.
Dorney was charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault on Sunday, 28 July.
He appeared at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday, 2 December, and was found guilty of all three offences on Friday, 6 December.
Detective Constable James Hart, who led the investigation for the Met, said, “We hope this sentence brings some level of justice for the victim-survivor who bravely came forward and helped us catch her perpetrator in what must have been extremely distressing circumstances.
“We’d like to thank the victim-survivor for providing vital evidence at the start of our investigation, as well as the other witnesses who provided statements.
“Dorney is a sexual predator who targeted a vulnerable woman and I hope this case proves the Met is determined to tackle violence against women and girls, which has a significant and lasting impact on victim-survivors.”
