Antoni Imiela
Antoni Imiela (born 1954, West Germany) is a British rapist and paedophile of German and Polish origin, found guilty of the rape of nine women and girls, and the kidnap, indecent assault, and attempted rape of a 10-year old girl. The crimes took place in Surrey, Kent, Berkshire, London, Hertfordshire and Birmingham, and the press gave the fugitive the soubriquet of the M25 Rapist after the M25 motorway that passes in the vicinity of all but one of these areas.
Imiela was finally caught with the use of DNA profiling. Once police had his DNA they launched a public appeal for information which resulted in a woman coming forward who expressed suspicion about her neighbour. A DNA swab test was carried out on the individual, Antoni Imiela, which enabled police to link him to the attacks. He was subsequently arrested.[1]
On 4 March 2004, he was sentenced to seven life sentences at Maidstone Crown Court for the crimes.[2] He is currently incarcerated at Wakefield Prison in Yorkshire.
On 18 October 2010, Imiela was charged with the rape, indecent assault and buggery of a woman on Christmas Day, 1987 in Sydenham, south east London, following a case review using new forensic techniques. The victim's interview with police had been recorded and although she has since died, Imiela appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates Court on 1 November 2010 and subsequently at Southwark Crown Court on 7 January 2011 to answer the charges.[3][4]
On 12 March 2012, court proceedings against Imiela for the Christmas Day rape in 1987 began at the Old Bailey. Erwin Jankowitz, the husband of Sheila Jankowitz, told the Old Bailey that his wife had told him that she had heard him pass by but Imiela had his hand over her mouth and threatened to kill her if she tried to call out for help.[5][6][7][8]
Timeline
- 15 November 2001 - a 10-year-old girl is kidnapped from a leisure centre in Ashford, Kent and raped in woodland nearby.
- 1 July 2002 - a 12-year-old girl is raped after being abducted whilst cycling in Bracknell, Berkshire.
- 11 July 2002 - a 30-year-old woman is raped in Earlswood, Surrey. Six hours later, a 26-year-old woman is raped on Putney Common in London.
- 16 July 2002 - an 18-year-old woman is raped in Goldsworth Park, Woking, Surrey.
- 6 August 2002 - a 52-year-old woman is raped on Wimbledon Common, London.
- 7 August 2002 - a 26-year-old woman is raped in Epsom, Surrey.
- 6 September 2002 - a 13-year-old girl is taken from her bicycle and raped in Woking, Surrey.
- 16 September 2002 - a 22-year-old woman is attacked in Ripley, Surrey. The attacker is bitten by her dog, and runs off.
- 25 October 2002 - a 14-year-old girl is abducted from Stevenage, Hertfordshire and raped at knifepoint.
- 21 November 2002 - a 10-year-old girl is indecently assaulted in Birmingham.
See also
- Murder of Colette Aram, another case which was solved through a similar DNA profiling method.
References
- ^ Hines, Nico (30 October 2008). "Breakthrough in 25-year-old hunt for Colette Aram killer". London: Times Online. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
- ^ "Serial rapist jailed for life". BBC News. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
- ^ "Man accused of 1987 Christmas Day rape". The Independent. 18 October 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
- ^ "Man charged of 1987 Christmas Day rape". BBC News. 1 November 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
- ^ "Antoni Imiela trial: Victim 'could not call out'". BBC. 13 March 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- ^ "SERIAL RAPIST 'LINKED BY TRACES OF DNA TO SEX ATTACK IN 1987'". Express. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- ^ "Serial sex attacker 'raped stranger' in 1987". Mirror. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- ^ "DNA 'snared rapist 20 years after Christmas Day attack on a stranger'". MailOnline. 13 March 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
External links
- BBC News: Serial rapist jailed for life, report of sentencing
- BBC News: Timeline of attacks
- 1954 births
- Living people
- German people imprisoned abroad
- Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by England and Wales
- English rapists
- English prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
- German prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
- German emigrants to the United Kingdom
- German people of Polish descent
- British crime biography stubs