Mukendi lived close to his victims
(Picture: Met Police handout)A rapper dubbed the “Camden Doorstep Rapist” who attacked women as they walked home alone at night is facing jail after being found guilty of a string of sex offences.
Francis Mukendi, 27, ambushed the victims as they reached their front doors and were distracted while getting their keys out, brandishing a hammer or a knife as he forced the women into sex acts.
His two-year reign of terror came to an end when a CCTV image at the attacker was circulated in the media and Mukendi handed himself in to police, hoping he would be eliminated from the investigation.
Instead, Mukendi – who raps on Instagram and TikTok under the name ‘Raver Artist’ – was linked to a string of attacks between 2017 and 2019, and a video of one of the rapes which he had tried and failed to delete was recovered, Wood Green crown court heard.
He denied being the ‘doorstep rapist’, but was convicted by jurors of four counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and four counts of possession of a bladed article following a six-week trial.
“Mukendi is an extremely dangerous offender who targeted these women as they walked home alone in the dark. He waited for the most opportune of moments before making his attacks”, said Met Police Detective Constable Stacey Smith.
The first attack was in September 2017, when Mukendi preyed on a young woman as she walked home from Camden tube station after a night out with friends.
After following her into a shared hallway, he forced her into a sex act and filmed it on his phone.
He struck again in June 2018, as a woman walked home alone from a night out at 4.30am, and carried out a further three attacks in September and November that year.
The final victim was targeted in December 2019, as she reached the door of a friend’s home after a work night out. Mukendi wore a hoodie or a balaclava to disguise his identity, and donned gloves for one of the attacks in a bid to avoid leaving his DNA at the scene.
The victims, aged between 20 and 32, each went to police immediately and the investigations were eventually linked, but the trail for the attacker ran cold.
The breakthrough came in December 2020 with the release of CCTV images, showing Mukendi in a distinctive ‘The Plug’ top which he had also worn in one of his Instagram music videos.
Mukendi handed himself into police the following day, but consistently denied carrying out the attacks.
When detectives searched a hostel room where Mukendi had been living, they recovered the ‘The Plug’ top and a stolen laptop containing the rape video and a cache of extreme pornography.
A zombie knife and a lock knife believed to be used in the attacks were also recovered.
“Francis Mukendi is a sexual predator, he preyed on women walking home alone at night. These victims were all tragically attacked when they were mere feet away from the safety of their own homes”, said Melissa Garner, from the CPS.
“They were terrified and forced to comply when threatened by Mukendi with a knife and in one instance a hammer.
“The prosecution case included CCTV evidence of Mukendi following a number of his victims home and TikTok music videos created by Mukendi showing the knives used in the attacks. A laptop belonging to Mukendi was also found under his bed which contained a video of one of the rapes he had filmed for his own sexual gratification.
“Mukendi is a dangerous individual. I hope these convictions bring a sense of justice for these brave women, who came to court and faced their attacker, after such life-changing ordeals.
“The CPS is committed to bringing sexual predators to justice. I hope these convictions serve to reassure the public that such cases will be robustly prosecuted wherever possible.
DC Smith thanked the traumatised victims for comign forward, and added: “I would urge anyone who has been a victim of a similar attack to speak to us directly quoting CAD1639/21MAR22.
"Alternatively contact us through a third party support group such as The Havens or London Survivors Gateway who offer a 24/7 urgent advice number if you need to speak with someone for the first time.”
