Three men have been sentenced to a collective 34 and half years in prison for the gang rape of a 13-year-old girl, whom they lured off the streets of London to a flat where they forced themselves upon her.
On Friday, Paul Maxwell, 24, Kayon Bhola, 29, and Jeremiah Jackson, 24, were jailed over the rape of a 13-year-old girl last year.
The victim, who's identity is protected, travelled into London on September 30th of 2023. Upon leaving a metro station in Hammersmith, she was confronted by the three men, who brought her back to Maxwell's flat where they all took turns raping the girl.
The three men were caught by police through a combination of forensic evidence, CCTV footage showing the three men leaving the tube station with the 13-year-old, and a video of the rape filmed by one of the defendants.
Police said that the footage of the attack "played a significant part in convicting the three men."
In a statement read to the court, the teenage girl said: "I have gone over the date a million times thinking of what I could have done differently to change the outcome of what happened to me. No matter what I change, it would've ended the same way.
"This is because these three men, fully grown men, knew exactly what they were going to do as soon as they saw me at Hammersmith.
"I was caught alone, and vulnerable. But that shouldn't have mattered."
Following their sentencing, the Met Police's lead detective in the investigation into the gang rape, DC Will Murphy said: "Firstly, I would like to thank the victim for her ongoing support in this case and for her extreme bravery in coming forward and reporting this to police.
"This has been a challenging investigation, however, due to the dedicated efforts of my team we were able to secure convictions. I hope the victim feels that justice has been served.
"Today's sentencing highlights how despicable this crime was and Maxwell, Bhola and Jackson will now face the consequences of their horrendous actions. The Met is here to support victims of sexual assault, and to provide the best care we can. Please do not hesitate to come to us."
Paul Maxwell was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison, while Kayon Bhola and Jeremiah Jackson were both jailed for 11 years.
In addition to their prison sentences, the three child rapists were given Sexual Harm Prevention Orders for 15 years.
