A rapist already serving time in jail has been convicted of attacking a teenage girl in east London 35 years ago.
Patrick Simms, 58, was found guilty of one count of raping a person under 16 at Wood Green Crown Court on Thursday after a 14-day trial.
Simms. who was already serving a life sentence for three rapes he committed in Hackney in 1993 and 1999, was sentenced to an extra nine years. The court heard that in 2019, the new victim came to police to report a rape that had taken place in 1987, when she was just 15 years old.
Detective Sergeant Matthew Cooksey, who led the investigation, said: “Simms is a prolific offender and we are glad that he has now been brought to justice for this offence.
“Throughout the trial he has tried his hardest to derail it and manipulate the jury. I am glad that they have seen through these attempts and unanimously convicted him.
“I want to thank the victim for coming forward and providing the crucial evidence needed to convict him. We hope this shows we will always take reports of this nature seriously, no matter how much time has passed. We would urge any others who have been subjected to these types of offences to come forward and speak to us.”
“The victim told officers that she met Simms, who was then 22, at a leisure centre in Hackney. They began chatting and he offered her a lift, which she accepted. He then took her back to his address on the Holly Street Estate in Hackney where he raped her.
DS Cooksey said the victim did not report the crime as she thought she wouldn’t be believed and that it was shameful for her and her family. A fter counselling she came forward in 2019 and made a report.
The victim was able to provide officers with Simms’ name and she positively identify him as her attacker.
In a statement read to the court the victim explained the impact of the ‘cruel’ rape on her life.
She wrote: “As my daughter was reaching the age of 16 and the #metoo campaign began, I felt more compelled to find out where this person was who had violated me at such a young age. I couldn’t bear the fact that this could happen to my daughter too. I was really anxious about that.
“This person cannot be trusted to live amongst us in society, he was a danger to women from a young age and always will be in my opinion. He hurt me in the most cruel and vicious way and I will never be rid of the memory of him raping me. But by seeking justice for what he did I can allow myself closure… I can feel proud of the strength, courage and patience it has taken to get me through the three years of this whole legal process, and 35 years of holding on to a very painful memory. I can now try to let that go because I’ve been heard and justice has been served.”
Judge Lucas the Honorary Recorder of Haringey told the court: “Having set out the history and facts of this offence and the history of Mr Simms’ subsequent offending and also his calculating conduct in the course of the trial, I am left with not the slightest doubt that Mr Simms is extremely dangerous.
“Whenever he is released from prison, I have not the slightest doubt that other women will be subjected to the same sort of non-consenting sexual abuse as his victims have suffered in the past.
“My sincere thanks to Prosecuting Counsel, Mr Hooper, and the OIC, DS Cooksey, for their assistance with an extremely difficult case.”
