man has been jailed after detectives secured vital DNA evidence linking him to a rape in 2004.
Lindell Campbell, also known as Tony, was found guilty of two counts of rape following a trial at Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday, May 9.
He was sentenced on the same day to six years’ imprisonment to run concurrently. He will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Detective Tony Anionwu, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “Despite it being 18 years since this attack took place, it continues to have a significant impact on the victim, and we are pleased that the man responsible has finally been brought to justice.”
In October 2004, a female tourist from America in her 20s went to a pub alone in Mortlake having been unable to contact a friend.
Having met Campbell in the pub, he offered the victim a place to stay for the night as her friend didn’t arrive and couldn’t be contacted.
The victim agreed as there were few other options at the time.
Once at Campbell’s home, the defendant insisted the victim share the bed with him, rather than sleep on the sofa as she had suggested.
In the bed, Campbell raped her twice. The victim stayed at the suspect’s home until the morning, fearing what he would do if she tried to leave. In the morning, he walked her to the station.
The victim was then cared for at a facility specialised in caring for victims of rape or sexual assault where staff and a specially trained officer provided advice and assistance.
The victim agreed to assist police by driving around the away to try and locate the suspect’s address. This was unsuccessful and the case went cold.
In 2018, Campbell was linked to a harassment case in which chewing gum was thrown at someone’s front door and car.
DNA tests were performed on the chewing gum, which matched those found at the time of the rape.
However, as Campbell had never been arrested, his DNA was not on the system.
He was recognised, although not identified, by the victim of harassment who believed he lived in Burke Close.
Officers compared CCTV from a 2014 incident to that of several of the harassment incidents, to confirm the identity of Tony Campbell.
Once in custody, a fast-time DNA test was carried out, confirming a match to both the rape and harassment cases.
DC Anionwu added: “We are dedicated to removing those who are violent towards women and girls from the streets of London. Campbell not only sexually assaulted a young, vulnerable woman who was on holiday, but then went on to harass another woman, making her feel uncomfortable in her own home.”
