A rapist who put his victim through a horrific two hour ordeal in a secluded park in Greenford could be released from prison early following a successful appeal.
Aqil Ali was told at the Court of Appeal in London on Friday (May 12) that he will serve a reduced minimum seven-and-a-half-years of his life sentence before he is eligible for parole.
The 32-year-old had originally been told he would serve a minimum 10 years of the life tariff when he was sentenced in October last year for the brutal attack.
Ali, from Mornington Road in Greenford, targeted his victim, a woman aged in her late 40s, as she made her way to work on the morning of March 5, 2016.
She was approached by Ali, described as “cruel and depraved”, who asked her for a cigarette. He then dragged her into a secluded spot in Perivale Park and repeatedly raped her, before stealing her money and leaving the scene.
Despite her ordeal and injuries, the victim was able to get to a nearby shop to raise the alarm.
An investigation was launched by the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command which conducting extensive enquiries and studied CCTV film from the park.
Among the footage they found was Ali obscuring his face with clothing as he entered and left the park.
A DNA match to Ali was later identified and on March 7 he was arrested at his home address, and charged the following day.
Following a six week trial he was found guilty of a 10 offences - kidnapping, two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, attempted rape, actual bodily harm, theft and two offences of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.
As Ali is still serving a life sentence, he will only be released once authorities are satisfied he is rehabilitated and no longer a threat to society.
The Court of Appeal decision to reduce his minimum term means he can appeal for parole at an earlier date.
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