A sexual predator who raped a schoolgirl and attempted to assault another victim by threatening her with a fake gun has been jailed for a minimum of 14 years.
Navroop Singh, 24, raped the child aged under 13 in Hayes End Park, Hillingdon, west London, in October last year.
Just ten days earlier, he had tried to rape another victim, aged in her 20s, in a different park.
Singh had been sitting on a bench in Southall Park, Ealing, in the early hours of October 13 waiting for a potential victim to walk past.
He was carrying an imitation firearm, which he had ordered and assembled, and used it to threaten the woman while he attempted to rape her, police have said.
Singh was yesterday sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 14 years following a four-day trial at Isleworth Crown Court.
On Thursday, he was found guilty of the attempted rape of the woman in Southall Park and the possession of an imitation firearm.
He had previously pleaded guilty to three other offences, including the rape of a girl under 13 and the assault of a girl under 13 by penetration.
The Metropolitan Police managed to track down Singh using forensics, CCTV and witness accounts.
The force launched its investigation following reports of the attempted rape of the woman in Southall Park.
Police were alerted by the victim, who, by chance, met with two off duty officers near to the gates of the park.
While the investigation was ongoing, a child was raped at a different park on October 23 – with officers drawing a link between the two offences.
After trawling through CCTV and securing forensic evidence, police arrested Singh at his home address on October 27.
Acting Chief Superintendent Sean Lynch, who leads policing in West Area, said yesterday: ‘I would like to commend the strength of the victim-survivors and their families and thank them for their unwavering bravery in reporting these awful incidents to us.
‘Today’s conviction is testament to the officers’ thorough investigation, which has identified a violent sexual offender and undoubtedly prevented further harm.
‘We are continuing to prioritise tackling violence against women and girls with our increased specialist teams.
‘I hope that the community will find reassurance in our action to put this predator behind bars.’