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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
John Dunne

Sex attacker jailed after targeting lone women in Camden

A sex attacker has been jailed after police swooped when they recognised his clothing through CCTV footage from one of his crimes.

Abid Khanzada, 27, had targeted lone women in Camden with a string of offences between 15 and 21 January.

A total of five woman, mostly aged in their early 20s, were sexually assaulted by Khanzada.

Khanzada, from Camden, had pushed one victim to the ground before sexually assaulting her, Wood Green Crown Court had heard.

He pinned the victim to her front door and sexually assaulted her, only stopping when he was challenged by a member of public.

Officers from the Central North Public Protection team trawled hours of CCTV footage from the crime scenes.

In the early hours of February 25 officers from the Public Protection Predatory Offender Unit were on patrol in the area of the attacks when they spotted a man wearing similar clothing to that of the suspect.

He also matched the physical description provided to police. He was arrested and in custody he gave a “no comment” interview.

Khanzada was ultimately charged with four offences of sexual assault and one of digital penetration.

He pleaded guilty on June 5 at Wood Green Crown Court to four counts of sexual assault. On July 19 at the same court he pleaded guilty to sexual assault by penetration ahead of trial.

He was jailed for three years on September 13.

DCI Steve Tod, who led the investigation, said: “We were absolutely determined to find the man responsible for such serious offences and bring him to justice.

“Khanzada posed a significant threat to women. He subjected these victims to a terrifying ordeal and I would like to praise each and every one of them for their bravery in coming forward. Reliving their experiences will have been extremely traumatic, but their actions have ensured that he won’t be able to assault further women.

“No one should live in fear of being the victim of such horrendous offences while simply going about their daily lives, and we will continue to do everything we can to make sure women feel safe on the streets of London.”

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