FEBRUARY 2012

Croydon man jailed for rape and sexual assault of young girls in Wallington

A man who was trusted to look after two young girls has been jailed for rape and sexual assault.

John Mensah of Broadcoombe, Croydon, was jailed for 15 years for rape and other sexual offences committed against two young children.

The 48-year-old was a trusted family friend of the two girls, who were both under ten years old at the time of the offences.

Croydon Crown Court heard on April 22 last year, Mensah took the children out for they day.

They visited a fast-food restaurant and he then took them a venue in Wallington he had access to, where he raped one girl and sexually assaulted both of them.

Mensah was arrested by detectives from the Metropolitan Police Child Abuse Command after one of the children told her mother what had happened.

He was interviewed, but gave no comment answers to all the questions put to him.

He was subsequently charged with nine sexual offences including rape, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

A jury found him guilty of all charges following a trial at the court in December 2011.

Detective Constable Craig Bowden of the Child Abuse Investigation Command, said: “John Mensah was trusted by the families of the children and he used this trust to commit awful crimes against two young girls.

“He is a predatory paedophile who will now spend a considerable amount of time in prison.

“His young victims were incredibly brave in disclosing their ordeals to their families and then to specially trained police officers.

“Without their courage and bravery, Mensah would not be in prison today.