Patrick Simms: prolific sex offender convicted of raping teenage girl in Hackney 35 years ago

A “dangerous” sexual predator already locked up in prison has been handed a further nine years after being convicted of raping a teenage girl three decades ago.

Patrick Simms, 58, was serving a life sentence for three rapes he committed in Hackney in 1993 and 1999. But in 2019, a woman bravely came forward to report that he had assaulted her too.

She told police of how she met Simms at a leisure centre in Hackney, east London, in 1987 - when she was just 15. He offered her a lift, but ended up taking her back to his home on Holly Street Estate, where he raped her.

The victim did not report the assault when it happened as she feared she would not be believed and thought it would be “shameful” for her and her family. But in a statement, she explained that watching her daughter grow up and seeing the #MeToo campaign unfold had given her the courage she needed to report the crime to the Met Police.

“As my daughter was reaching the age of 16 and the #MeToo campaign began, I felt more compelled to find out where this person was who had violated me at such a young age,” she explained. “I couldn’t bear the fact that this could happen to my daughter too. I was really anxious about that.

“This person cannot be trusted to live amongst us in society. He was a danger to women from a young age and always will be in my opinion. He hurt me in the most cruel and vicious way and I will never be rid of the memory of him raping me.

“But by seeking justice for what he did I can allow myself closure. I can feel proud of the strength, courage, and patience it has taken to get me through the three years of this whole legal process, and 35 years of holding on to a very painful memory. I can now try to let that go because I’ve been heard and justice has been served.”

Detective Sergeant Matthew Cooksey, who led the investigation, thanked the woman for coming forward and providing “the crucial evidence needed to convict [Simms]”. He slammed the “prolific offender” for “trying his hardest to derail the trial and manipulate the jury”.

“I am glad that they have seen through these attempts and unanimously convicted him,” he continued, before addressing other victims who may be yet to report similar crimes. He said: “We hope this shows we will always take reports of this nature seriously, no matter how much time has passed. We would urge any others who have been subjected to these types of offences to come forward and speak to us.”

Cooksey, who serves in the Met’s Central East Command Unit, was also praised by the judge during the sentencing for his work in a “complex” investigation. There were some obstacles when pursuing the case as, although the victim was able to provide officers with Simms’ name, because of the time that had passed, there was no evidence that could link him to the crime.

But investigators decided they could hold an identity procedure to see if the woman could positively identify her attacker. However, as he had previously been convicted, they had to ensure she had not seen any images of him that may have been published in the media.

To do this, the team carried out extensive searches of records in the British Library to prove that a picture of him had never been published - in either online or printed newspapers.

Sentencing, Judge Lucas, said: “Having set out the history and facts of this offence, and the history of Mr Simms’ subsequent offending and also his calculating conduct in the course of the trial, I am left with not the slightest doubt that Mr Simms is extremely dangerous. Whenever he is released from prison, I have not the slightest doubt that other women will be subjected to the same sort of non-consenting sexual abuse as his victims have suffered in the past.

“Since he raped the complainant in this case, Mr Simms continued to commit ever more serious offences of rape and his conduct was only halted by him receiving a life sentence. I regard his subsequent conduct as a significant aggravating factor.

“I have considered whether I am able to pass a further life sentence. I do not have such a power under the SA 2020. I also do not believe the seriousness of the 1987 rape is such as to justify my passing a discretionary life sentence. That said, it is my very clear view that if I had the power to pass a life sentence on Mr Simms I would do so to protect the public from his conduct, having concluded he continues to present an ongoing danger to women.”