Serial sex offender jailed for life for attacking six women across south London
A man who attacked six women in south London over a 12-day period had been jailed for life.
Joshua Victorin, 25, had been released from prison only days before he began assaulting lone women across south London, including attacking four women within four hours.
Victorin, who was living in a probation hostel in Walworth, south London, wore dark clothing, a hooded top and a mask when he approached his victims from behind.
He had just been released from a 12-month jail sentence for sexual assaults on two female prison guards and a police officer.
Victorin pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted rape and four charges of sexual assault between December 23 last year and January 4.
He was given a life sentence with a minimum term of eight years and eight months at Inner London Crown Court on Thursday, Scotland Yard said.
At an earlier hearing, prosecutor Claire Harden-Frost said: "These offences can be seen as part of a campaign to rape and sexually assault women walking alone in the streets of London.
"This, frankly is most people’s nightmare in this situation."
Joshua Victorin south London attack timeline:
December 23: Victorin followed a woman as she got off a bus in Peckham, south London, pulled down her trousers, causing her to fall to the floor before fleeing when the woman’s screams alerted a passer-by
December 31: Victorin tried to rape a woman in Elephant and Castle, pulling down her trousers and dragging her by her ankles to the doorway of a London South Bank University building. He again ran off after a security guard came to help after hearing screams from the victim
January 4: Victorin carried out four similar sexual assaults on separate women over the space of three-and-a-quarter hours, between 11am and 2.15pm.
Victorin was identified after detectives theorised the attacker might be on some kind of curfew because of the timing of the offences and tracked him down to his hostel.
He pleaded guilty to a further count of possession of a Class B drug after he was found with cannabis.
Victorin has seven previous convictions for 14 offences dating back to 2014.
He was jailed for a total of 17 months in February 2019 for unlawful wounding and possession of an offensive weapon.
Victorin sexually assaulted two prison guards while serving his sentence and was jailed for a year over the attacks, as well as a separate sexual assault on a female police officer in March last year.
He was released halfway through his sentence in August, but recalled to prison after being charged with possession of cannabis and outraging public decency – by having consensual sex in a park in front of people, including children – and was then freed under licence in December.
Stephen Akinsanya, defending, earlier said his client’s "indication of remorse is genuine."
He added: "This is a young man who is unable, or has been unable, to contain sexual urges and it is an area in which he needs help."
Metropolitan Police Detective Sergeant Chloe Angris said: "Victorin is a prolific offender who assaulted six women over a 12-day period.
"It is possible that there might be other women who were assaulted by him, and I would urge them to contact us.
"The Met is committed to tackling violence against women and girls, and with Victorin’s imprisonment Southwark is a safer place."
Anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault or rape or who has information about an offender, can contact police on 101 or, in an emergency, 999. Further information, including details of agencies and charities that can offer support, can be found online.