Police have praised the courage of a woman who gave evidence in court against the man who raped her in Holland Park.

Ismael Ali Omer was given a five-year prison sentence on Friday (February 24) after a jury found him guilty earlier the same day.

The 32-year-old, of no fixed abode, had been sleeping rough in the area when he raped his victim, at around 2.30am on August 27 last year in Holland Park Avenue.

They had met about an hour earlier as she walked home from a night out, police said.

The victim, in her 20s, ran from the area after the attack and alerted members of the public.

The police were called to the location, and Omer was arrested near to the scene.

Detective Constable Anthony Stanton, of the Met’s Sexual Offences Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: “I would like thank the victim and acknowledge her courage throughout this investigation.

“The strength of evidence against Omer was overwhelming which led to him being convicted of rape.

“The sentence handed to him reflects the gravity of the offence and the effect it has had on the victim’s life.”

And Detective Inspector Ash Hornsby, from the same unit, added: “This was a violent assault on a lone female and that is reflected in the sentence.

"Londoners should feel safer today as a dangerous offender has been taken off the streets.

“We have teams of specialist officers ready to help anyone who has been sexually assaulted, but I want to reassure the public that such attacks by strangers are rare."

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