Indian-origin brothers jailed for serious child sex offences in UK
Vruj Patel, 26, and his brother Kishan Patel are sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court after an investigation by the Metropolitan Police
LONDON (TIP): An Indian-origin man who had pleaded guilty to child rape offences was on Tuesday sentenced to 22 years’ imprisonment at an east London court, where his brother was also sentenced to 15 months in jail for possession of indecent images of children.
Vruj Patel, 26, and his brother Kishan Patel were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court after an investigation by the Metropolitan Police, which is appealing for other potential victims to come forward.
Detectives believe there may be other victim-survivors who were targeted by the Patels, whose offending is thought to date back to 2018.
“(Vruj) Patel is a cowardly, opportunistic offender who has preyed on vulnerable victims for his own sexual gratification,” said Detective Sergeant Rob Blant, who led the Met Police’s investigation.
“The threat he poses to women and children has been reflected in his sentence and his future management under the terms of the Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sex offender notification requirements for the remainder of his life,” said DS Blant.
“This is a fantastic example of a thorough and detailed investigation by Met detectives working to support victims of the most serious offending and safeguard the wider public from a dangerous offender,” he said.
According to the police statement, Vruj Patel had pleaded guilty to rape of a child under 13, assault of a child under 13 by penetration, and four counts of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity in relation to one victim.
Additionally, he pleaded guilty to rape of a girl over 16 and sexual assault by penetration relating to a second victim.
Besides, he was also found in possession of indecent images of children and guilty of voyeurism, leading to a life-long entry into the UK’s sex offenders’ register.
Kishan Patel was sentenced for making and possessing indecent images of children and will serve a 10-year sexual harm prevention order in addition to the jail term.
The court heard that Vruj Patel was arrested on February 1 after Greater Manchester Police alerted the Met Police to a third-party report of videos of child sexual offending being present on a device which had been sent for repair.
The device belonged to Kishan Patel and some initial videos found depicted child sexual offences being committed against a young girl who was known to the brothers.
“Officers worked quickly to seize Kishan’s devices; however, it became apparent that Vruj Patel was the one appearing in the videos. Detectives were able to identify him after his face was briefly visible at the end of one of the videos showing abuse of the child,” the Met Police said in a statement.
Further images and videos were uncovered by detectives, which showed Vruj Patel committing a rape against a young woman following a university night out, and voyeurism against a young girl.
Police detectives pieced together that he had filmed himself committing multiple offences against the victims and was identifiable from clothing comparisons and his distinctive jewelry.
“Although each incident of contact offending is thought to have happened in 2018, the voyeurism precedes this and officers are concerned that Vruj’s offending has continued until more recently,” the Met Police said.
“Following Patel’s sentencing today, detectives are appealing for any further victim-survivors to come forward. There may be other instances where children visiting his home, or the homes of those around him, had been placed under his care. Detectives are interested to speak to anyone who believes this may have been true,” the police force said in its appeal.
According to officers, the victim-survivors involved in this case have been given specialist support and guidance by officers throughout the investigation and court process. Survivors have been encouraged to contact the police by reporting online or by calling 101, quoting “Operation Castline”.
“There are teams of dedicated, professional officers working across London who will leave no stone unturned to identify those who seek to commit offences against vulnerable people and bring offenders to justice,” added DS Blant of the Met Police.
=====================================================================================
Man jailed for repeated historic sexual abuse of Sunderland child
Brian Harrison, now 66, repeatedly sexually assaulted the school-aged child at an address in Sunderland when he was a young adult.
After living with the effects of Harrison’s crimes for most of his life, the victim came forward and reported the assaults to police at the beginning of last year (2024).
Following the report, Harrison was interviewed by officers where he admitted to the offences.
He appeared at Newcastle Crown Court in August where he pleaded guilty to six offences.
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “These offences comprised of four counts of indecent assault on a boy, and two counts of indecency with a child – being that the offences occurred before the Sexual Offences Act was introduced in 2003.”
On Friday (October 10) he returned to the same court where he was jailed for four years and four months.
Harrison will also spend the rest of his life on the Sex Offenders’ Register and was handed a lifelong restraining order to protect the victim.
Speaking after the sentencing, the victim released a statement which said: “Brian Harrison preyed on me as a very young child.
“I have carried the secret which feels like individual embarrassment for over 45 years.
“It was only following my police interview that my experiences finally sunk in with me coming to terms that something I regarded as being a traumatic and adverse childhood experience was in fact repeated acts of sexual assault as a child.
“It is now time for Brian Harrison to carry the burden of his actions and for those who know him to see that he is a child sex offender, rather than the person he likes to portray.”
Detective Constable Wood, of Northumbria Police, led the investigation.
Speaking after Harrison’s sentencing, she said: “It’s incomprehensible to imagine what the victim has been through – having kept these crimes to himself for more than four decades.
“I am extremely grateful he bravely decided to disclose Harrison’s crimes to us, which allowed us to take action and finally put his abuser before the courts.
“I hope he feels extremely proud of himself, he’s finally allowed himself to get justice.
"I hope this case shows other people out there who may be in two minds about telling police that it’s truly never too late to start this process.
“No one should have to go through anything like this, and I'd urge anyone who has been a victim of any form of sexual offending to reach out, whether it happened yesterday, last week, or decades ago.
“There is no time limit on the support we can provide – we’re here for you.”
You can report any type of recent or non-recent abuse by sending Northumbria Police a direct message on social media or via the report it section on their website.
You can also call 101.
No comments:
Post a Comment