Rapist captured in chilling CCTV footage carrying victim through a city centre is jailed for life

A rapist captured in chilling CCTV footage carrying his victim through a city centre in the early hours of the morning has been given a life sentence.

CCTV footage of Austin Osayande, 40, taken in the early hours of Friday 14 August 2015, showed him carrying the victim away in his arms.

The victim, a woman in her 20s, had been walking to get a taxi home in Leeds city centre, when she was approached by Osayande in the city centre.

However, he was not caught until last year when he struck again and attacked a woman in her 30s.

Osayande was branded a “danger to women” by a judge when he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 16 years after pleading guilty to sexual assault and rape.

The victim of the 2015 attack said she had tried not to “live in a world of fear”, but found herself uneasy when alone and that Osayande’s only remorse was for being caught .

Perpetrator was not found for six years

On the night in question in 2015, Osayande approached the woman after she was trying to hail a taxi at around 5am following a night out in Leeds.

He spoke to her and walked alongside her and was shortly after seen on CCTV carrying the victim in his arms.

Osayande was leading the woman to the scene of the attack which was just a short distance away from where he met her.

In 2015, cops released the shocking footage to aid their investigation.

At the time, then Detective Superintendent Pat Twiggs, Head of Crime for Leeds District, said: “The footage of the victim being carried off by this man clearly makes for disturbing viewing. We gave very careful consideration to releasing it and secured the consent of the victim who has been left understandably traumatised by what this man did to her.

“I think the CCTV gives a really stark illustration of the very serious nature of this offence and we hope it will focus the public’s minds on helping us to identify and trace the man responsible.”

Shockingly though, Osayande was not caught by police until 2021, when he committed another sexual assault while working as an Hermes delivery driver.

He forced his way into the home of the woman, who was in her 30s, after delivering a parcel to her home.

After the attack, Osayande told the victim that he would “see her on Saturday”.

Osayande was quickly identified as the suspect and was arrested the same day. He denied the offence and was released on bail with conditions while enquiries continued.

A DNA sample taken from him while in custody for this offence was processed and found to be a match to the 2015 attack and Osayande was arrested over that incident.

Osayande convicted and given life sentence

He was subsequently charged with rape in relation to the 2015 incident and assault by penetration for the 2021 offence.

Osayande initially pleaded not guilty when he appeared at Leeds Crown Court via videolink in October last year, but then admitted both offences at a hearing at Leeds Crown Court on 27 January 2022.

He appeared at Leeds Crown Court for sentencing on Wednesday, he will be jailed for a minimum of 16 years, and will serve two-thirds of this sentence before he will be considered for the Parole Board.

Osayande will also remain on licence for life and has been made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

‘You were never sorry’

In an extract from a Victim Personal Impact statement, Osayande’s victim in 2015 said: “Since you raped me, I try not to live in a world of fear but find myself feeling uneasy when alone, when it’s dark, and making my way home. Anyone should be able to do this without being subjected to rape.

“I hope the sentencing you receive today reflects justice for not only myself but for the other victim and victims that may come forward.

“You claim to be sorry for your actions now, you were never sorry because if you were you would have come forward, you never would have repeated such an awful crime many years down the line. The only reason you’re sorry is because today justice has prevailed and you’re sorry you were caught.”

Rapist is ‘embodiment of sexual predator’

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Pat Twiggs, said: “Osayande is the absolute embodiment of a dangerous sexual predator. The CCTV footage from 2015 shows him prowling the streets in the early hours, hunting for a woman to sexually attack for his own twisted gratification.

“The traumatic impact that his appalling actions have caused to the victims of both these offences cannot be underestimated. We commend the bravery, tenacity and patience they have shown, and it is genuinely satisfying that we have finally been able to justify their faith in the police by getting justice for them and their families.

He continued: “In other investigations in the past, that further offence has often been a victimless low-level crime, but sadly in this case another woman had to suffer at Osayande’s hands for him to be caught. Thankfully, he will now spend a considerable amount of time in prison and be unable to hurt anyone else.”

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Twiggs thanked the public for their help and added: “Most importantly, I want to reassure women that West Yorkshire Police will always treat sexual offences such as these very seriously and devote all the available skills and techniques of specialist investigators to pursue every opportunity to get justice for victims.

“We want victims of sexual violence to come forward and be confident they will be supported by us and treated with compassion and respect.

“Women and girls should be safe to walk the streets of West Yorkshire free from the fear of violence and harassment, and our recently launched Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy reinforces our commitment to increasing our focus alongside our partner organisations to make the county a safer place.”

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