Man jailed for life after raping schoolgirl and attempting to rape woman in London parks

4 July 2025, 16:46

A man who raped a schoolgirl in a London park and attempted to rape a woman in another has been jailed for life.

Navroop Singh, 24, was convicted of attempting to rape a woman in Southall Park, Ealing, in the early hours of October 13, 2024.

A court heard the attacker had been sitting on a bench and was carrying an imitation firearm, which he had ordered and assembled, and used to threaten the victim while he attempted to rape her.

The victim, aged in her 20s, managed to escape and by chance met two off duty police officers near the gates of the park, who accompanied her to the nearest police station.

An investigation was subsequently launched by the Metropolitan Police and officers trawled through hours of CCTV footage to try and identify an offender.

Whilst their enquiries were ongoing, a child was raped at Hayes End Park, Hillingdon, on October 23.

Officers immediately made a link between the offences and Singh, of Mellow Lane East in Hayes, was tracked down and arrested after detectives used forensics, CCTV and witness accounts to build a file of evidence against him.

Following a four day trial at Isleworth Crown Court, Singh was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years for five charges, including rape, on Friday.

Read more: Two murder probes launched in Cornwall after body found in woods during unrelated search

Read more: Eight men jailed for involvement in Ireland’s largest ever drugs haul

As well as being convicted of the attempted rape of a woman in Southall Park, he was also found guilty of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence on Thursday.

The defendant had previously pleaded guilty to a further three offences, all related to the rape of a child at Hayes End Park, Hillingdon, on October 23, 2024.

The rapist was charged with possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence, rape a girl under 13 and assault a girl under 13 by penetration.

Acting Chief Superintendent Sean Lynch said: "I would like to commend the strength of the victim-survivors and their families and thank them for their unwavering bravery in reporting these awful incidents to us.

"Today’s conviction is testament to the officers’ thorough investigation, which has identified a violent sexual offender and undoubtedly prevented further harm.

"We are continuing to prioritise tackling violence against women and girls with our increased specialist teams. I hope that the community will find reassurance in our action to put this predator behind bars."

The force launched an investigation following reports of an attempted rape of a woman in her 20s on October 13, 2024.

Officers were able to trace the offender to within a few doors of his home address where they delivered leaflets to appeal for witnesses and carried out increased patrols of the area.

Each of the victims have been supported by specialist officers throughout the investigation and court process.