Rapist jailed after targeting 'vulnerable' sex workers on escort sites

A rapist who targeted "vulnerable" sex workers on escort websites has been jailed for 19 years.

Sajad Jamalvatan, 25, preyed on sex workers by contacting them online, inviting them to his home in Chelsea, London, and pretending to pay them.

Victims would try to escape when they realised they were in danger but Jamalvatan overpowered them.

The PhD student would then become violent if they tried to defend themselves, pinning them down and telling them not to scream.

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On one occasion, Jamalvatan subjected a woman to an attack lasting more than an hour.

He then told her he was "not a bad person", it was the "first time" he had committed this act and that he had taken Class A drugs which caused him to be violent.

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Jamalvatan, who was reportedly a survivor of the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017, began targeting women two years later, police said.

During his two-week trial at Isleworth Crown Court, the jury heard how police launched a year-long investigation, which included working with charity National Ugly Mugs – that aims to "end all forms of violence against sex workers" – to connect with and support victims.

He was found guilty of five counts of rape against two female sex workers between August and October 2019 and was sentenced last week, police said.

Detective constable James Drummond from Central West Public Protection Unit said: "Jamalvatan is a man who has a very clear victim profile – vulnerable women.

"It was determined at court that Jamalvatan felt the women he targeted were not worthy of his respect, and he sought to undermine their reports of rape by suggesting to police that they were not trustworthy because of their work.

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"He also compulsively lied to police throughout this investigation, parading as a straight-laced PhD student who was looking after his auntie and mother. This couldn't be further from the truth."

Drummond added: "It is clear that Jamalvatan has no comprehension of the severity of the acts he has committed, and the damage, both psychological and physical, which he has inflicted."

He said police believed there may be more victims and urged them to come forward.

"The Met has specially-trained officers and partner charities who can help victims, and detectives who are absolutely devoted to making sure that people like Jamalvatan are prevented from hurting women and girls."

Meanwhile, a National Ugly Mugs spokesperson said: "We applaud the courage of the victims who came forward in this case and are pleased that we could offer some support in the investigations."

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