Indian-origin man gets life term for raping schoolgirl in London parks, also found guilty attempting to rape other woman in…

The man had already admitted to three of the crimes: having a fake gun with bad intentions, raping a girl under 13, and sexually assaulting a girl under 13.

A 24-year-old man from India, named Navroop Singh, has been given a life sentence in prison in London. This comes after a big police investigation into the attempted rape of a woman and the rape of a child. On Friday, a court in Isleworth decided that Navroop Singh must spend at least 14 years in jail. He was found guilty of five different charges, including rape.

Navroop had already admitted to three of the crimes: having a fake gun with bad intentions, raping a girl under 13, and sexually assaulting a girl under 13. Additionally, he was found guilty of trying to rape a woman in west London in October 2024. This conviction came after a four-day trial at the same court.

Acting Chief Superintendent Sean Lynch, a police leader in West London, praised the victims and their families. He said their courage in reporting these terrible events was remarkable.

How the investigation started

The police started their investigation after a woman in her 20s reported that someone tried to rape her on October 13 of last year. Luckily, she ran into two police officers who weren’t on duty near Southall Park in West London. They took her to the police station right away.

It turns out that earlier that same day, Singh was sitting on a bench in the park, waiting for someone to walk by. He had a fake gun, which he had bought parts for and put together himself. The police said he used this fake gun to threaten the woman while he tried to attack her.

Connecting the crimes

In the days after the first report, officers spent hours looking through CCTV camera footage to try and figure out who the attacker was. While they were still investigating, another terrible crime happened: a child was raped at a different park on October 23, 2024. The police immediately saw a connection between the two incidents.

With more resources, the officers were able to gather extra evidence from the crime scene. They then managed to track the attacker down to a house very close to his home. They even handed out flyers in the area, asking for witnesses, and increased police patrols.

The arrest

Singh was arrested on October 27 of last year. Throughout the entire investigation and court process, both victims received support from specially trained officers.

The Metropolitan Police stated that stopping violence against women and girls is a top priority for them.

(With PTI inputs)