Man jailed for 2004 rape in west London after DNA breakthrough
A man has been jailed for attacking and raping a woman in a west London park almost 19 years ago, after his DNA was linked following another sexual assault investigation.
Adrian Satchwell, 60, of Willesden, was sentenced to 10 years and six months behind bars on Wednesday after being found guilty of the 2004 rape in Acton Park following a trial.
On July 4 that year Satchwell attacked and raped a woman in the park around 1am. He was with another man who remains unidentified.
The woman reported the crime to Metropolitan Police and a DNA profile of the attacker was obtained, but there was no matching identity on the national police data base at the time.
A breakthrough came more than a decade later in 2017 when Satchwell was arrested in relation to a sexual assault investigation, and his DNA was taken was taken by the Met.
Police officers discovered that his DNA profile matched that of a sample collected at the time of the rape in 2004.
Satchwell was charged with two counts of rape in August 2021 following a lengthy investigation process impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He has been sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court.
When reading her victim impact statement in court, the survivor said she is “relieved” to have the rape “validated by the jury”.
“That man is disgusting, he disgusts me that he lied and made up different stories along the way to try and avoid what he did to me,” she told the court.
“To this day, I find that I am still anxious, I suffer from panic attacks, chest pains and shaking. I walk around in a constant state of hypervigilance.
“Before this happened to me I had a lot of self-confidence. I would go out with friends but since this has happened I have found that I am a lot more restrictive with what I do. At the time I became a lot more withdrawn, not talking to anyone and devoid of emotion.”
Detective Sergeant Susan Phillips, who led the investigation, said Satchwell is a “violent, predatory rapist” and it is “a relief to know he will spend many years in prison”.
“What he did to the victim had a profound and lasting impact on her life. He has shown no remorse.”
Ms Phillips said his victim was “an incredibly brave woman” and “she remained stoic over the past 19 years”.
The Met’s Cold Case team identified further tests that could be carried out on exhibits to see if the second suspect could be identified, which was unfortunately negative.
Detectives followed several leads including CCTV enquires, e-fit production and circulation, working with Interpol and the examination of other similar offences at the time of the rape, the Met said.
Following his imprisonment, Satchwell will be on license for a further two years.